


Captured

by WayWardWonderer



Category: Ghostbusters (Movies 1984-1989), The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Captured, Gen, Hurt, Missing, Rescue, Torture, abducted, injured
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 19:01:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11561370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayWardWonderer/pseuds/WayWardWonderer
Summary: A duo of vengeful ghosts seek the creator of the ecto containment unit and plan on making the man suffer for his work. A rescue mission becomes a matter of life or death when the four intrepid heroes are all put in danger when one of their own in kidnapped and held prisoner in a secluded lair.





	Captured

In the cold brick basement of the century old firehouse, the current location of the iconic Ghostbusters of New York City, Dr. Egon Spengler and Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz worked tirelessly on the modifications to the, powerful as it is delicate, containment unit that housed thousands of captured lost spirits and malicious ghosts. A faint yellow glow from the overhead light illuminated the enclosed room with a dull amber hue that cast a dreary aura over the working figures of the two scientists.

"Okay, I think this will work." Ray set aside his soldering iron as he held the newly designed gasket in his hand for Egon to see as he stood before the containment unit. "Better conduction, stronger material, lighter in weight and much easier to replace in the event of damage."

"Good work Ray." Egon watched as Ray set to work replacing the older obsolete gasket with the newer one. "This should enhance the containment unit's power capacity and efficiency by at least thirty percent."

"Let's hope so," Ray went to work with a large wrench to loosen the heavy industrial bolt from the old gasket. "I'm tired of dealing with power surges every time we deposit a Class-5 ghost into the unit." The bolt slipped free from the screw with some resistance. Sliding the old gasket aside Ray set it down on the floor and picked up the new gasket.

Egon held a clipboard in his hands with various complicated formulas, calculations and graphs. "According to the latest data readings the ionization field should be increased exponentially with the inclusion of-"

"OUCH!" Ray stepped back holding his right hand securely in his left, the new gasket sitting idle on the bolt.

"What happened?" Egon dropped the clipboard down on the workbench as he strode over to where Ray was standing. Pulling Ray's good hand away from the injury sight Egon examined the wound carefully.

"I burned myself..." Ray shook his head feeling foolish with his own carelessness. "Damn exterior port is blazing hot."

"First and second degree burns." Egon diagnosed calmly. "I'll replace the gasket and get your handed treated."

"Careful!" Ray instinctively cautioned as he resumed holding his throbbing hand in his unafflicted grip. "I don't think Venkman would ever let us live it down if we both got hurt on the same project." He slipped off his white lab coat and draped it with one hand over the back of the chair tucked beside the work bench.

"I'll be careful." With some degree of frustration Egon managed to slip the new gasket in place and replace the bolt. Tightening said bolt as much as possible with the sturdy wrench he checked the power display on the containment unit, satisfied with the current reading. "It's stable."

"Good." Ray stared down at the reddened skin and small blisters that had already formed in the palm of his right hand. "Now let's get this taken care of before we work on the proton packs. "I'll be sure to come back down and double check everything later tonight."

Egon briefly put his hand on Ray's shoulder as the two walked up the basement stairs side by side, Ray still clutching at his sore hand.

Passing through the small opened office space on the first floor the two men walked in as Janine Melnitz, their loyal and fiery receptionist, was busily handling yet another intrusive phone call from Walter Peck and his P.C.O.C. minions. She was unfazed by Peck's arrogant attempt to intimidate the Ghostbusters into taking subservient roles beneath himself, and was able to easily handle his angered outbursts without batting an eye. Filing her nails she casually listened in on the call and only spoke up when absolutely necessary.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Dr. Venkman isn't going to comply with any form of insurance policy you try to force down his throat." She blew on her freshly manicured nails as Peck screamed at through the phone. "Well, there's no need to get hostile! Look, why don't you call back tomorrow when Dr. Venkman is actually here in person? Hm?"

Ray gave Janine an unseen nod of approval. "I'm certainly glad she's on our side."

"Never assume." Egon wisely cautioned as he opened the door to the small lab that also doubled as their makeshift medical wing. Removing two bottles of purified water from the storage refrigerator tucked in the corner he poured one bottle of water into a sterile metal basin and set on the table beside Ray. "I'll get the gauze."

"Say Egon," Ray took his long sleeved red flannel shirt off over his white t-shirt and sat down on the exam table. Holding his injured hand outward he unfastened the strap of his watch and placed it down on the table beside the basin. Immersing his hand in the cool water he sighed in relief as the pain began to ebb away. "do you ever regret switching fields in college? You excelled in medicine, but now you're a physicist."

"No, not really." Egon sat down on the rolling stool and slid over in front of Ray, a box of gauze, the second bottle of water and bottle of burn salve sat on his lap. "While I do miss the opportunities to study, even occasionally explore human anatomy, I find physics to be a more fulfilling and mentally fascinating subject matter through which I can excel." Slipping on a pair of purple latex gloves Egon lifted Ray's hand from the basin to examine the burns again. "Do you regret becoming an engineer?"

"Nah," Ray winced as he Egon poured the second bottle of water over the burn ensuring it was properly rinsed before applying the salve to cleanse the burn and protect it from further possible exposure to bacteria. "I don't really have any regrets in my professional life."

"Personal?" Egon inquired as he began loosely wrapping the white gauze around the fresh burns; starting from Ray's palm and stopping just below the wrist.

"Only with my siblings. I wish we were on better terms."

"My own father disowned me because I left medicine behind. My mother only speaks to me when absolutely necessary to please my father."

"My dad and mom never had any problems with anything me or my siblings wanted to do." Ray shrugged as he compared his familial experiences to Egon's. "But I don't know how they would react to me being a Ghostbuster."

"My parents are the polar opposite of thrilled." Egon finished wrapping Ray's hand. "How does that feel?"

Ray flexed his hand slowly and relaxed his fingers. "Still stings but not as badly." Hopping down from the table Ray slipped back on his flannel shirt and picked up his watch before continuing on with the odd conversation. "I know my brother hates that I chose science over religion and my sister hates that I use science to explore the paranormal instead of helping the living. Guess I just can't win."

"Fortunately for you your life decisions are your own and you don't have to answer to anyone else or explain yourself."

Ray smirked at Egon and arched his brow.

"What?" Egon asked as he slipped off the gloves and disposed of them properly.

"That sounds more like something Peter would say."

Egon replayed his words in his mind and analyzed his own demeanor. "Peter is a trained psychologist."

"Yeah, but psychologist or not I imagine he'd still be the same stubborn smartass we all know." Securing his watch over his left wrist with mild awkwardness Ray exited the lab with Egon following close behind. "I'm going to grab the blueprints for the proton pack modifications from the rec room."

"I'll meet you downstairs."

Winston Zeddemore; the former Marine, paramedic, construction worker and mechanic, had his head under the opened hood of Ecto-1 and a red rag tucked under his hand. Glancing up he saw Ray passing through the garage to walk up the staircase to the second floor.

"Hey Ray," Winston noticed the white gauze around Ray's hand. "what happened to you?"

"Oh?" Ray walked over to the car and held out his hand sheepishly. "Burned myself while working on the containment unit." Patting his good hand on the hood of the car he leaned down on the opposite side of Winston to look at the engine. "How's Ecto doing these days?"

"Not bad. She was overdue for an oil change and I figured while I was at I'd take care of the air filter and few other things." Wiping his grease covered hands onto the red rag he stood up straight to stretch his back. "How's the containment unit?"

"It's going to be running a lot smoother from now on. Egon and I are going to get to work on the proton packs, want to join us?"

"No thanks, I still need to check the tire pressure." Slamming down the hood of the car he looked over at the clock on the far wall of the garage noting the late time. "When's Peter getting back? I could use a hand."

"Who knows? He and Dana are out on a date night."

"Lucky them." Winston sarcastically replied as he used his foot to slide the car jack from the wall and under the car's rear end. "Want to order a pizza? I'm starved."

"Good idea. I get the feeling it's going to be a long night!" Ray decided as he resumed walking upstairs and into the rec room to collect the desired blue prints. "It's been too quiet in the city as of late, we're overdue for some action, I just know it!"

"Careful what you wish for!" Winston called after Ray before muttering to himself under his breath, using the jack to lift Ecto-1 up from the ground. "The last thing we need another giant marshmallow attack." Laying down on his back he tucked himself under the raised vehicle to resume repairs. "We don't get paid enough to deal sugary monsters."

While Ray was upstairs in the rec room Egon returned to the basement to test the output capacity levels on the containment unit's power levels. The new gasket seemed to be holding firm but it was still too early to predict any imminent failure or dramatic fluctuations in the stability of the energy readings. Keeping a keen eye trained on the display gauge Egon noted the improvement in power flow and internal ionization capacity.

"Good, very good." Egon noted the improvements on the clipboard amiably. "These settings are exemplary."

"Pizza is on its way." Ray jogged down the basement stairs with the blueprints in his uninjured left hand. "And I got 'em." Laying out the blueprints across the workbench Ray smoothed out the imperfections with his right arm and pinned down the corners of the prints under heavy tools with his left hand. "These new ventilation systems should help keep the packs cooler for longer periods of time."

"Agreed." Egon looked away from the clipboard and over to where Ray was standing in front of the workbench. "If we can eliminate the venting process all together it'll provide us much needed time to capture ghosts while out in the field."

"I think if we start here," Ray pointed to the small motor that would be used to increase the power of cooling fans within the confined vents. "we can built around the vent without compromising structural integrity."

"We should get started." Egon tossed the clipboard down on the workbench beside the blueprint. "Once we have a completed prototype on the table we'll be able to upgrade all of the packs simultaneously."

"Think Janine will be able to keep Peck away from us while we finish our work?" Ray asked offhandedly as he pulled a large metal circuit box from the shelf above the workbench and sat it down on the blueprints. "The fewer interruptions the better!"

"I think Janine is more than capable of keeping Peck at bay for as long as we need." Egon hefted a fully charged proton pack onto the workbench and began opening the ventilation system with a screwdriver. "I also think it'd be wise on Peck's part to avoid getting on her bad side."

"Janine's bad side," Ray lamented jovially. "scarier than anything Gozer or Vigo could ever throw at us!"

From the top of the basement stairs Winston called down to the working scientists. "Hey guys! Pizza's here!"

"Already?" Ray called back with noticeable surprise in his voice.

"Yeah... It's been twenty minutes!" Winston confirmed. "Come on, let's eat!"

"Oh, I didn't even notice." Ray set aside the circuit box shrugging his shoulders dismissively as he turned toward the basement stairs.

"Time flies when you're having fun." Egon quipped comically. "We'll finish working on the prototype tomorrow."

"Hopefully by then Peter will be back from his date!"

Gathered around the small round table in the kitchen Egon, Ray and Winston flipped open the box of pizza and sat down to enjoy their late night dinner. It wasn't uncommon for the guys to order takeout seeing as the four were often too busy to prepare a home cooked meal; old pizza boxes had been stacked up in the corner until it was time to take care of the recycling, and once the pizza on the table was finished off the boxes would be added to the preexisting pile.

"Good idea Winston," Ray complimented as he took a bite of the pizza. "glad you thought of it."

"So am I. I'm not in the mood to cook."

Egon kept his silence as he dined, his thoughts still preoccupied with the impending modifications for the containment unit and proton packs.

"Does Janine want any pizza?" Ray asked he took a second slice. "If she does she better get up here fast."

"Nah, I asked when I answered the door. Something about too much grease and not enough vegetables." Winston wiped off his hands on a napkin as he finished off his first slice.

Ray stared down at his sore hand, admiring the textbook work Egon had done while treating the injury. "Hey Winston, do ever think about where you could be right now or about the things you should've done?"

"What do you mean?" Winston was a little perplexed by Ray's rather somber question. "Like do I regret becoming a Ghostbuster or something?"

"Not exactly regrets, but... do you wish you had done something different in your past just for the sake of curiosity? Me and Egon were talking about it a little bit earlier."

"Oh." Winston thought about the question for a moment before something came to mind. "I do kind of wonder what I'd be capable of if I had taken that art class with my cousin when we were just out of high school. I've never been the best at drawing, but she was phenomenal! I guess her talent intimidated me a little."

"I can get that." Ray knew a thing or two about feeling intimidated or overshadowed by family.

"Why do you ask? Something on your mind, Ray?"

"I was just thinking." Ray admitted feeling a little silly for even asking. "I mean, we have proven that ghosts can travel through parallel planes and dimensions, so I was just wondering what our own parallel selves could be doing at this moment. Like, did they do the things in their dimension that we didn't do here? And if so, does that mean there's a dimension where we never became Ghostbusters? Or, what if the Ghostbusters never existed in one dimension and now that dimension is suffering for it? " Ray cleared his throat nervously. "Guess I'm just worried that sometimes I don't always make the best decisions despite my best effort."

Egon finally chimed in. "Ray I've never known you to make a rash decision or act without thinking. Accidents happen and they always will, please stop trying to put the weight of the world on your shoulders."

"So..." For a change to a less bleak subject Winston inquired about the containment unit. "What are you guys working on down there anyway? Are you making a second containment unit or something?"

"No, but we are improving the one we already have. If everything goes according to plan the unit will effectively double in size and use only one third of the energy we're currently using."

"That's pretty slick!"

"Thank you, it was Egon's idea."

From the staircase a set of striding footsteps ascending to the second floor as Peter's cocky voice rang out. "Well, well, well!" Dramatically he jumped up the last few steps and leaned against the staircase banister with a cocky smirk. "Guess who earned themselves a second shot at love with an absolutely gorgeous woman!"

"I take it you and the wife are still getting along." Winston quipped.

"Jealous?" Peter asked as he joined the trio at the table and took a slice of pizza for himself.

"Not really. There's nothing about your dating life I envy."

"Ouch." Turning his attention to Egon with a smug smile Peter addressed the physicist. "So Egon, how's your little experiment going?"

"Promising." Egon answered flatly.

"So you got the containment unit up and running?"

"Yes. Ray and I currently working on the proton packs."

"Damn, thought I delayed my return long enough that you two would have everything done."

"Don't worry Peter," Egon sat upright in his chair and gave Peter a stern look. "Ray and I anticipated your lack of cooperation and compensated accordingly."

"I repeat: 'Ouch'. Is everyone just out to get me tonight?"

Janine called up the stairs to Peter as if on cue. "Dr. Venkman, that 'Peck' guy has been looking for you!"

"Yes." Peter decided as he playfully eyed his friends suspiciously. "You are all out to get me. Oh, and speaking of 'ouch', Ray, what happened to your hand?"

Ray looked down at the bandaged appendage and flexed his fingers lightly. "Burned myself on the exhaust port."

"Again?"

"No, first time. The last time I burned my hand it was on the muffler on Ecto-1 when I was restoring her."

"That's right," Peter remembered the event fondly. "you screamed like that time you found a spider in your bunk back in school. Too bad neither me or Egon planted that guy ahead of time, that was classic."

"Not funny Peter." Ray blushed at the embarrassing moment. "That thing was huge!"

"It was a daddy long-legs."

"With very long legs..."

"Right, well, I'm going to go deal with 'Peckerhead'," Peter decided as he grab himself another slice of pizza. "maybe I can get him to back off long enough for us to get some actual work done."

"It's late," Egon stated firmly. "do you think calling Peck at this hour is the wisest course of action?"

"Nope. But having a bureaucratic, spiteful rancor as our 'boss' wasn't exactly the wisest decision on the mayor's part, either."

Egon couldn't argue with Peter's reasoning. "Just don't say anything that'll get us all fired."

"Yes 'dear'." Peter teased as he jogged down the stairs with the pizza slice in hand. "I'll put in a good word for you Spengz!"

Egon arched his eyebrow at the notion. "I suddenly don't feel very well."

Winston and Ray flashed cheesy smiles as they continued to enjoy their pizza and as each other's company. It wasn't until Ray looked down at his watch did he realize that it really was late into the night.

"It's almost eleven. Why don't we tackle the proton packs tomorrow?"

"Good idea." Egon agreed. "It'll take at least six hours to finish the new modifications."

"I'm going to turn in for the night then."

"Do you want me to re-bandage your hand?"

"Nah, it'll be fine until morning."

Winston picked up the now empty pizza boxes and tossed them to the top of the pile of boxes in the corner. "While you two are dealing with the proton packs tomorrow morning I'll top off Ecto-1's fluids, double check my work." Making his way to the adjoined bunk room Winston disappeared through the door frame. "See you in the morning guys."

Egon stood up from the table and slipped off his white lab coat. "Think I'll shower first, then turn in."

Ray had a new thought. "If you're ready to turn in then I'll go check on the containment unit, make sure everything is stable."

"Good idea." Egon disappeared into the bunk room just as Winston had done, only before climbing into bed he was going to cross through the room to shower off in the connected washroom. "I don't anticipate any immediate problems, however a follow up examination can only prove beneficial."

"Right."

Ray wandered down the staircase and spotted Peter sitting coyly on the corner of Janine's desk with the phone pressed to his ear. Janine herself was sitting in her chair and watching apathetically with her nail file pressed to her fingertips. Without breaking stride Ray listened in as Peter toyed with Peck over the phone.

"Well you see now Peck," Peter was as smarmy as he was calm. "I was out having a life, not intentionally avoiding your calls. You should really try it sometime!"

As Peck yelled something in response Peter turned the phone from his ear and smiled at Ray.

"The man really has no patience." Peter commented slyly.

Ray stood beside the desk and waited for the conversation to continue.

"Ya' finished?" Peter asked as he replaced the phone to his ear. "Well now that's just plain rude!"

Ray shook his head slowly. "Venkman, you're only going to make things worse."

"Worse, or better?" Peter asked with a smug grin. Putting his hand over the receiver he whispered to Ray. "Janine has 'accidentally' misplaced Peck's latest memo and all of the legal paperwork required for his little agenda to take effect!"

"Is that legal?"

"I don't know. But it works." Peter took his hand from the receiver. "Look, why don't we discuss this in person? When are you free? I'm open... uh, let me see here..." Peter mimed flipping through a planner while rolling his eyes. "two weeks from next year. Does that work for you?" A loud buzzing filled his ears. "Hello? Huh." Peter hung up the phone. "He hung up on me."

"Peter," Ray hated it when Peck tried to throw his weight around, but he hated it even more when Peter provoked him. "I wish you would at least TRY to mend fences with the guy."

"Never." Peter defied theatrically as he jumped off the desk. "Now if you'll excuse me, it was a long day and I need my beauty rest."

Janine sat down her nail file and gave Ray a sympathetic glance as Peter hustled up the stairs. "Don't worry, I already have the paperwork taken care of, it just needs to be processed."

"You're going to send it on the last day, right?"

"Of course. But I'll also make sure that the postage is wrong so it'll get lost in the mail for a few weeks."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're an evil genius?"

"Yeah, my ex from high school." Janine casually pushed back her chair and grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. "I'll be back tomorrow to deal with Peck. Don't worry about him Ray, that man is a brick of salt but I'm sure with a little time and patience he can turn to sugar."

"Or pepper." Ray tagged on sarcastically as the receptionist passed him by for the front door. "Goodnight Janine."

"Goodnight." She replied as she exited the firehouse for the night.

Without another thought Ray ventured up the second floor to turn in for the night as well. The containment unit and newly acquired modifications slipping from his mind in lieu of the phone call to Peck.

The containment unit sat idle in the basement. The powerful piece of equipment imprisoned many ghosts of varying levels of power and classes. Within the restless spirits could sense a change in the power flow of their prison and began frantically seeking a weakness to use to their advantage and escape. Structurally the device had always been sound, but the new gasket wasn't fastened as tight as the previous gasket. With very little effort the angry ghosts within we able to combine their energies and seep through the loose metal binding, slowly twisting the gasket from the securing bolt itself...

* * *

 

An early morning call startled the four Ghostbusters awake. The sun had long since risen but the morning was still young. Janine had answered the phone shortly after arriving for her shift and had sounded off the loud Klaxon to awaken the sleeping Ghostbusters with a blaring siren that noisily echoed throughout the massive brick building.

"Remind me to cut that wire!" Peter grumbled as he threw his pillow across the room in disgust.

"I second that." Winston agreed as he swung his legs over the side of his bed. "But a call is a call!" Marching over to the fire pole he slid down in the garage first.

"Let's go." Egon ran his hand through his hair as he picked his glasses up from the nightstand beside his bed. "We need to finish this call and resume work on the proton packs." He followed Winston down the pole as he slipped his glasses onto the bridge of his nose.

"Does he ever stop?" Peter asked as Ray pulled him by the arm off his bed.

"Nope." Ray pushed Peter toward the fire pole, pressing his good hand between Peter's shoulder blades. "After you."

"Thanks..." Peter muttered as he slid down into the garage, his sleepy eyes only partially opened during the descent.

Ray followed behind Peter, awkwardly clinging to the fire pole with only one good hand.

Winston had already changed into his jumpsuit and started up Ecto-1. Egon was close behind while Peter and Ray groggily opened their lockers to change into their own jumpsuits. Janine watched as the four men went about their business without hesitation, almost as if on autopilot.

"Ready?" Ray asked as he zipped up his jumpsuit.

"No..." Peter mumbled as he tried and failed to get his foot inside his first boot. He was leaning one hand against his locker and trying to awkwardly balance.

"Come on, you can put your shoes on in the car." Ray tugged on Peter's arm, practically dragging him toward the iconic hearse.

"I'd rather sleep." Peter continued to complain as he climbed into the backseat and sat beside Egon.

Winston had been given the address of the call by Janine after he initially slid down the pole. Fortunately the address wasn't too far from home, but it was still an early call and the four Ghostbusters were still tired from a late night of hard work.

As Ecto-1 sped out of the garage and down the block Janine was left alone to file her paperwork. The doors shut and all was quiet inside the firehouse, that was until the sound of a metal cracking and a heavy 'thud' caught her attention. The air became cold and heavy in a matter of seconds, causing her to wrap her arms around herself as the sudden chill caught her off guard.

"What was that?" Janine asked herself as she looked over her shoulder toward the source of the enigmatic sound. "Did it come from the basement?" Pulling open the top drawer of her desk she retreated the black flashlight stored inside before going off to investigate the unusual sound.

No further noises emanated from the basement but every instinct told her to check it out. Something was wrong and she was going to figure out what it was and why it had happened.

Janine's heels clicked rhythmically as she descended the concrete staircase down into the basement. The beam of the flashlight illuminated the dim basement and gave her a clear path to follow as she checked the basement for any sign of disturbances. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs she swept the flashlight beam back and forth over the floor slowly.

The workbench and chairs were sitting idle, the tools were all neatly arranged in their proper places and the containment unit seemed secure. As the beam crawled over the floor beside the containment unit something glistened in the light.

"What's that?" Janine asked as she walked over to the shining object and kneeled down beside it. Placing her left index finger on the object in question Janine felt the icy coldness of the surface as well as a light coating of ectoplasm that covered it. "Where did this come from?" Picking it up she studied it curiously as it sat in the palm of her hand. "Isn't this the new part Egon made for the containment unit?"

A sinister cackle from the shadows sent a chill up her spine. She straightened up quickly and dropped the gasket in the process.

' _E...gon..._ '

"Who's there?!" Janine demanded as she turned on her heels to face the shadow. "Show yourself!"

A figured draped entirely in shadow took a step forward. It was tall despite its slouching, ragged posture. Tattering rags that were once clothes hung pathetically from its limbs and shook violently as it continued to approach Janine.

"Hold it!" Janine demanded as she took one step back and shined the light in the intruder's face. "Back off jerk!"

The figure, now illuminated in the bright light, had been exposed for all to see. It's face was rotting flesh and the eyes hollow black sockets. It smiled a permanent smile as its lips had long since decomposed. Bones protruded through the thinning layers of skin on its face and upper body, its hands were skeletal and sharpened at the fingertips.

"You're... a..." Janine stammered fearfully, the light beginning to shake as her hand trembled with fear. "...ghost!"

Unleashing a loud roar the figure lunged at Janine and knocked her to the floor, her head striking the dropped gasket as she fell. The flashlight rolled away from her limp hand as she laid unconscious on the floor. A small stream of blood dripped from the fresh cut on her forehead.

The ghost hovered angrily over Janine for a few moments before snarling again. ' _E...gon..._ ' Slipping back into the shadows the ghost vanished from sight leaving Janine prone and bleeding alone on the floor.

* * *

 

Exiting the long abandoned restaurant with a smoking trap slung over his shoulder Ray boasted proudly over their latest capture. His jumpsuit was slimed and smoldering, the white bandage on his hand tarnished from the dirty work he had accomplished.

"Best way to start the day!" Ray declared as he opened the rear compartment of the car.

"Speak for yourself..." Peter grumbled as he wiped a glob a thick green slime from his face and hair. "Why am I the one who always gets slimed?"

"They must be drawn to your personality." Winston quipped as he helped Ray load of the car with their used equipment.

"Oh, ha ha!" Peter mocked the joke. "I think you've spent too much time with Ray and Egon, and not enough time out in the field doing work."

Egon patted Peter's shoulder sympathetically. "At least the slime isn't caustic."

"You know Egon," Peter shot his friend a bitter look. "for a doctor you have a terrible bedside manner!"

"I could say the same for you, 'Doctor' Venkman."

"See what I mean? I'm suffering here and all you can do it point out my faults!"

"Sorry Venkman, but I firmly believe in honesty."

"Okay, that's enough!" Ray stepped between and Peter and Egon, hanging his arms heavily around their shoulders as he spoke. "Why don't we get back home and get something to eat? I know I could go for some coffee right about now."

"Now THAT is how you talk to a suffering man!" Peter sided with Ray and wrapped his own arm over Ray's shoulders. "Your treat, right?"

"Of course."

Taking the front seat of the car Peter continued to wipe the slime from his face and wipe it from his hair. Winston gave Peter an odd look as he climbed into the driver's seat, but didn't say anything. No one liked getting slimed!

Ray and Egon sat in the backseats to discuss their ongoing work with the proton packs.

"As soon as we're back at the firehouse I want to get to work on the proton packs as soon as possible." Ray excitedly admitted.

"I believe your hand takes precedence over the packs right now." Egon took Ray's arm by the wrist and examined the dirty bandage wrapped around his injured hand. "There was no damage to change the bandage this morning and after coming in such close contact with grime and sweat it's crucial to have your hand cleaned before infection sets in."

"Oh yeah..." Ray gently pulled his arm free from Egon's grip and ran his fingers over the graying fabric. "I completely forgot about this."

"I don't think any immediate harm has been done." Egon tagged on in a somewhat sympathetic manner. "I'm more surprised using your hand didn't cause severe pain."

"Ambidextrous." Ray flexed his left hand with a smile. "Comes in handy! ...Excuse the pun."

From the front seat Peter responded firmly. "No."

As Ecto-1 backed into the garage of the firehouse the first thing that Winston noticed as he looked in the rear view mirror was Janine's desk empty. It wasn't like the receptionist to leave her work area vacated when the four Ghostbusters were out on a call.

"Weird." Winston noted as he turned off the engine. "Where's Janine?"

"I dunno." Peter replied indifferently as he slammed his door shut and leaned against the car. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms as the strong chill in the air still lingered. "Coffee break? Ladies room? Ran away to join the circus?"

Ray and Egon climbed out of the back of the car, the occupied trap slung over Ray's shoulder once again. The four men looked around for Janine, expecting her to walk down the stairs or greet their return from the second floor.

"Janine?" Ray called out. "Janine, where are you?"

No response.

Winston walked over to her desk and took stock of the sight on display. There was file work that had only been partially completed, she had a mug of tea that was still warm, there were no messages written down and the top drawer of her desk was ajar.

Curious about the drawer Winston pulled it open and saw that all of the emergency supplies, save for the flashlight, were still in place. "Hey guys, I think something happened while we were gone."

"What makes you say that?" Ray asked as he joined Winston at the desk.

"She always keeps a flashlight in the desk in case of power outages, but it's gone."

"If the power failed," Egon analyzed quickly. "then the logical response would be to check the circuits in the basement."

"Basement?" Ray turned to look at the entryway to the basement over his shoulder. "Janine! Janine, are you down there."

Still no response.

Egon joined Ray and Winston as they wandered toward the basement in search of the missing receptionist. Peter, who had been hanging back, milled about slowly as he followed the trio, trying to feign disinterest.

Walking down the basement stairs Egon, Ray and Winston glanced through the room thoughtfully when Winston saw the dropped flashlight on the floor, still glowing brightly. "There's the light." Winston stooped down to pick it up, as he bent down he saw a hand laying limp on the floor. "What the-" Turning the light to shine on the hand he found Janine laying unconscious on the floor. "Janine!"

Egon and Ray rushed over to the downed woman while Winston fumbled to turn on the overhead lights. Ray dropped the trap on the floor without a second thought as his compassionate nature overwhelmed his scientific curiosity.

"Janine?!" Ray put his hand under her head and neck to lift her up from the cold ground gently, his fingers pressing to the side of her neck. "She's breathing. Strong pulse."

Peter heard the commotion and rushed the rest of the way down the stairs to join his colleagues. Seeing Janine being cradled in Ray's arm had an unexpectedly potent reaction on the seasoned psychologist. "What the hell happened? What's wrong with Janine?"

"She struck her head." Egon noticed the bleeding cut right away. "Possible concussion."

Winston kneeled down on the ground beside Ray and Egon. "Did she trip?"

"I don't think so." Egon saw the gasket on the ground beside Janine. "Something, or someone, did this to her."

Peter took a knee beside Ray as a feeling of anger washed over him. "Who? Who did this to her Egon?"

' _E...gon..._ ' A sinister voice groaned from the shadows.

The four men were instantly on their guard. Unable to properly hold Janine with his bad hand Ray let Peter scoop her up from the ground and hold her protectively in his arms.

"Who's there?" Winston demanded, the former Marine instinctively taking charge of the possibly dangerous situation. "Why are you here?"

The ghost emerged from the shadows, the cold air becoming frigid as it approached the four men.

"What do you want?" Peter nearly growled in anger as he tightened his grip around Janine. "What kind of freak attacks someone who's completely defenseless?"

' _E...gon..._ ' The ghost repeated in a deep, dark voice. It raised a spiky finger and pointed at the physicist. ' _Cap...tor..._ '

"Captor?" Ray repeated.

' _Suff...er..._ ' The ghost snarled before rushing toward the four men.

Sidestepping the ghost Egon and Winston pressed their backs up against the wall beside the containment unit, while Peter and Ray managed to make it to the staircase.

"Egon! Winston!" Ray called out for his colleagues.

"Go!" Winston responded firmly. "Get Janine some help, we can handle this lunatic!"

"But-" Ray tried to take a step back into the basement, only to have Peter cut him off by putting himself between Ray and the basement.

"He's right." Peter locked eyes with Ray to fully engage the engineer. "She needs our help," he looked down at Janine briefly. "and you're already hurt."

"You're... You're right."

"Winston and Egon can take him." Peter encouraged as he jogged up the stairs with Ray, reluctantly, following close behind.

The ghost, who was full of absolute hatred, continued to lunge at the two remaining Ghostbusters with impressive speed. The dark hollows of its eyes seemed to glow red with mounting intensity as it's movements became all the more aggressive with each attempted attack on the two humans.

"We need a proton pack!" Winston ducked down beside the workbench.

"The only functioning ones are still in the car!" Egon kept his eyes trained on the ghost.

"What about a trap?" Winston ducked down out of harm's way as the ghost buzzed over his head.

"Can you reach one?"

"I can try!" Winston made a beeline for the traps sitting on their charging stations across the room.

The darting ghost was aware of itself and its surroundings. Knowing that Winston was going to arm himself the ghost focused on the man who had his back turned to the enemy.

"Winston!" Egon warned as the ghost honed in on the target.

Before Winston could reach the traps the ghost tackled him and sent him flying into the traps, causing the metallic contraptions to fall from their stations. Stunned by the attack Winston laid on his chest and tried to push himself up with his arms.

The ghost hovered ominously over Winston, its long arm drawn back read to swing out and strike the unsuspecting man.

"Wait!" Egon pleaded with the ghost, his arm extended outward as if to shield Winston from further harm. Taking a step forward the physicist was now openly vulnerable to an attack. "Don't hurt him!"

The ghost lowered its arm and twisted its body around to face Egon.

"You said my name before which clearly indicates your grievance is with me." Egon stood his ground boldly as he confronted the dangerous entity. "Here I am, don't attack my friends."

Floating away from Winston the ghost glared its blood red eyes directly into Egon. Grasping its cold hands tightly onto Egon's shoulders, its sharpened, talon-like fingertips tearing into his flesh and drawing blood. Egon groaned in pain while the ghost sneered wickedly.

' _Come... with... me...captor...creator..._ ' Hovering upward from the ground, lifting Egon in its surprisingly powerful grip, the ghost steadily enveloped the Ghostbuster in pitch blackness. ' _Writhe... Retribution..._ '

Winston pushed himself up from the ground and balanced on his knees. Turning toward the ghost he watched Egon was absorbed in the darkness and vanished into a shadow that seeped through the ceiling and into seeming nothingness.

"Egon?!"

As the ghostly shadow disappeared through the ceiling, Egon being taken along against his will, Winston scrambled to his feet and stared in awe at the fading shadow. It seemed too impossible to be real, and yet, Winston had witnessed the kidnapping with his own eyes. The room steadily warmed and the air lightened as the ghost left the premises, which in turn confirmed that Egon was no longer in the building.

"Egon?" Winston almost whispered his friend's name. "Egon, please tell me you'll be okay. We'll find you, man!"

Despite the heavy feeling in his legs Winston sprinted out of the basement and crossed through the garage in a matter of seconds. Both Peter and Ray were standing impatiently beside Ecto-1 waiting for an answer about the bizarre circumstances taking place in the basement so they could take Janine to the hospital. Janine herself was laying across the backseat with a gray blanket draped over her body and a white gauze bandage taped over her bleeding forehead.

"Winston, what the hell happened down there?" Peter demanded curtly, his hands were clenched into tight fists hanging at his sides. "Where's Egon?"

"Egon... he was taken. He's gone!" Winston sounded almost out of breath. "It was the ghost..."

"Taken?" Peter didn't like the sound of that, his voice carrying a lilt of bitterness with every word. "Hold on! What do you mean 'taken'?"

"The ghost! It took Egon."

"What?!" Ray nearly yelled in shock at the revelation, his legs were starting to shake with fear. "How did it-"

"It grabbed him," Winston began explaining hastily. "and it phased through the ceiling! Egon's was taken by that thing, and I don't know where they went!"

"Oh man," Ray ran his good hand over his face nervously. "this is bad. This is VERY bad."

"We have to do something! We have to find him!"

Peter intervened in a controlled tone. "And we will. Right now we need to take care of Janine. She was here alone while we were gone and she went down into the basement for a reason. Only she can tell us why."

"You're right." Winston refocused his energy into helping Janine. "The sooner she can tell us what happened the sooner we can start looking for Egon."

"Exactly." Peter shot Ray a stern look as the anxious engineer stared blankly at the car. His mind was racing with justified concern for the safety of Egon as well Janine. How could this all happen? "Ray, get in the car. We need to move, NOW."

"I... Yeah, yeah. You're right." Ray pulled open the rear passenger door and slipped inside as Peter's voice pulled him back to reality. Carefully he lifted Janine up from the seat and let her lay across his lap. "Janine's our best bet. We just have to help her!"

"I'll drive." Winston decided as he took his place behind the steering wheel. "She needs to see a doctor."

Peter slipped into the front seat beside Winston. "And we're going to find her one."

The incomplete team of Ghostbusters raced from the firehouse to the nearest hospital with Janine, still unconscious, unaware of her friends working desperately to help her and formulate a plan to locate and rescue their missing colleague. The drive was quick and quiet as the three men were at a rare loss for words during the very unusual set of circumstances.

* * *

 

Darkness encompassed everything. Egon couldn't see anything beyond his escaping breath clouding before him and disappearing into the same nothingness that had consumed him earlier. He couldn't hear, he swore he couldn't even feel. A sense of dread and foreboding permeated the eternal darkness as Egon stood in abject, concealed, horror as he awaited the next step in the abducting ghost's plan.

' _E...gon..._ ' The ghost's voice rang out from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. ' _You have... imprisoned us..._ '

"Imprisoned." Egon pondered the accusation as he stood firm, his defiant eyes expertly masking his fear. "Are you referring to the ecto containment unit?"

A second dark figure emerged from the ground just a few feet away from Egon. The second ghost was that of a young woman in a long red dress, her skin was pure white and her ebony hair hung down past her waist. Amber golden eyes bore holes as she pointed at Egon, her bright red nail polish gleaming despite the poor light and her ruby red lips twisted into a wicked smile.

' _You admit it._ ' Her voice sang out almost amused by the entire scenario. ' _You are the creator of our prison_.' She snapped her fingers and long, ethereal metal chains descended from the ceiling.

Egon flinched as the cold metal bindings snaked around his wrists and lifted him up from the floor until his boots were no longer touching the ground.

' _You admit your guilt_.' The female spirit, the siren, taunted Egon with a twisted satisfaction. ' _Name your affiliates whom assisted with your prison and spare yourself pain_.'

The threat was far from hollow. From the evil intent gleaming in the siren's eyes Egon knew that the ghosts were seeking to punish the Ghostbusters for all their previous successes. Their unique technology seemed to be all that separated the living from the resurrected dead. The ecto containment unit housed countless ghosts that would otherwise harm innocent people, ghosts that were locked away for seemingly all eternity. The proton packs and ion traps were created as a means of lassoing the ghosts and removing them from their current haunts. The Ghostbusters alone wielded such incredible technology, they were the ones that incurred the wrath of the vengeful ghosts, lost spirits and stalking demons. Not the innocent New Yorkers who called upon them.

' _You separated my true love from my arms_.' The siren hissed as the first ghost joined her at her side, his hand now holding onto hers. ' _You dare to interfere with matters that need not concern you and you must pay for your crimes. But I am not without mercy. Name your fellow compatriots so that you may endure suffering in the company of friends_.'

Every piece of the marvelous technology was created through brilliant collaboration between Egon and Ray. Only these two men were responsible for the fates of countless spirits.

"I created the ecto containment unit. I worked alone." Egon lied without hesitation. "I'm responsible for every captured ghost in this city. If you want to punish someone for imprisoning your friends then punish me. Go ahead, get on with it. I won't resist."

The siren snapped her fingers again and dozens shadowy minions rose from the floor. Each minion wielded a unique weapon in their grimy little claws.

' _Then let it begin_.'

* * *

 

When Peter had walked into the hospital carrying Janine unconscious in his arms a doctor and two nurses paid immediate attention to the downed woman. After a quick array of questions, several of which the guys couldn't answer on Janine's behalf, she was admitted to the hospital and given a thorough examination by the skilled physicians.

"It's been an hour." Peter grumbled as he stared at his watch mid pace. "How long does it take to check one head injury? I could've had a hernia repaired by now!"

"Patience man. They know what they're doing." Winston reminded him as he watched Peter pacing through the waiting room for the umpteenth time. "Why don't you call Dana? I think she'd like to know what's going on."

"Yeah, good idea." Peter let out a deep breath and rubbed at his chin. Talking to his wife always steadied his nerves. "Anything to help pass the time."

Ray was sitting in absolute silence in the waiting room beside Winston. Unable to think about anything but their missing friend his face was etched in worry, his eyes deep and thoughtful. Despite evidence to the contrary he felt as though he was somehow responsible for everything that had happened to both Janine and Egon.

"Everything will be okay, man." Winston didn't even need to look at Ray to know that his friend was lost in a mental darkness. He could feel the tension emanating from Ray's body. "As soon as Janine can fill us in on what happened we can start looking for Egon."

"Yeah... sure." Ray sounded as desperate as he looked.

The doctor who had been attending to Janine finally approached the two Ghostbusters with a look of confidence on her face. "Are you with Ms. Melnitz?" The doctor was older in age but still very lovely. Long blonde hair with a few gray hairs peppered throughout was pulled back in a tight bun, her dark brown eyes were deep and soulful and her posture reflected her righteous sense of self confidence.

"Yes!" Ray bolted up from his chair. He extended his hand to shake and mistakenly offered his injured hand in place of his good hand. "How is she?"

"Hello, I'm Dr. Renee Madison." Instinctively the doctor eyed Ray's hand before answering any questions about Janine. "She has a mild concussion and required four stitches to close the laceration to her forehead."

"Is it serious?" Winston inquired softly.

"Fortunately no. She will have a nasty headache when she wakes up but I doubt there will be any form of permanent impairment."

"Can we see her?"

"Yes, of course. I'll have a nurse escort you, Mister...?"

"Zeddemore." Winston introduced himself. "Winston Zeddemore. This here is Dr. Ray Stantz and our other friend is Dr. Peter Venkman."

"Nice to meet you." The doctor nodded subtly and a responsive nurse was at her side. "Please escort Mr. Zeddemore to Ms. Meltnitz' room. As for Dr. Stantz, I'd like to take a look at your hand."

"My hand?" Ray visibly straightened as he looked down at the hand in question. "It's fine doc, I-"

Winston cutoff Ray midsentence. "No, Ray, let her take care of your hand. We can't have you getting sick from an infection."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ray begrudgingly agreed to let his hand be tended to. Whether his decision was provoked through guilt or for a need of a distraction he couldn't say. "I'll meet you soon."

"And make sure Peter knows to walk back to meet us." Winston stated as he followed the nurse down to Janine's private room.

"Right, yeah..."

Dr. Madison motioned for Ray to accompany her to an unoccupied exam room. "Come this way Dr. Stantz."

Peter had found a payphone that was relatively isolated from the rest of the people inside the hospital. Never one to open up to strangers or even make friends easily Peter strongly valued his privacy and intended to keep it as valuable as possible. Inserting a quarter into the phone he dialed home. Leaning one hand against the wall he closed his eyes and waited for the soft ringing sound of the phone to end and for the melodic voice of his dearly beloved Dana to answer.

"Dana, it's me..." Peter didn't know what to say. How could he possibly explain the abnormal if not completely dangerous situation in just one phone call? How could he even begin? "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just..." He trailed off long enough to take in a deep breath and recollect his thoughts. "There was a bit of an accident today and-"

He listened as Dana of course reacted with utmost concern, asking about his own welfare and that of the other Ghostbusters.

"Look, the guys are fine, uh, mostly..." Peter wanted to kick himself for saying that line. "it was Janine who was hurt. She's in the hospital with a concussion. I, no, we don't know." He answered Dana's questions honestly and quickly. "When she comes to we'll know what happened."

On the other end of the line Dana was already preparing for a trip to the hospital.

"There's one other thing," Peter didn't want to say it but knew he had to. Dana cared about Egon as much as the rest of the guys. After all, he had been the first person she turned to when paranormal events seemed to target her young helpless son and he came to her aid without a second thought. She'd want to know the truth and she deserved to know. "Dana, a ghost has... A ghost abducted Egon. He's missing."

There was a thick pause over the line. Dana was understandably floored by the revelation, unable to speak.

"Honey, are you still there?" Peter felt his own heart begin to ache. "Please don't worry, we're going to get him back! I swear it!"

There was a palpable silence on the line but the phone hadn't been disconnected. Dana was still listening.

"Look, try not to worry about anything. We have it all under control. Just... just sit tight! I'll explain everything later. I love you."

Reciprocating his affection Dana hesitantly said 'good-bye' and hung up the phone.

As Peter slowly returned the phone to the cradle he felt someone walking up behind him. Turning his gaze he saw Ray standing back a few feet for the sake of respecting Peter's space. His hand was now wrapped in fresh white gauze. "Ray. How's Janine?"

"The doctor says she had a concussion and needed a couple stitches. We can see her, Winston is already with her."

"Good." Peter hustled from the phone and made his way down the lengthy corridor. "We need answers and we need them now!"

Walking shoulder to shoulder Peter and Ray slowly traversed the lengthy corridor of the hospital. Neither man could bring themself to look at each other or make eye contact with the medical staff they passed by without a word. Hospitals were always filled to the brim with tension as countless people had battled for their lives, and many of those battles had been tragically lost. This level of tension was all too familiar with the seasoned paranormal investigators.

"Peter?" Ray addressed his friend softly. "Do you... Do you ever look back on your mistakes and wish you did something different?"

"Are we talking about small blunders or full blown regrets?" Peter inquired without missing a beat.

"I guess we're talking about regrets. I know none of us are perfect but shouldn't we-"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Ray." Peter in fact stopped in the middle of the hallway and raised a finger as if he was reprimanding the engineer's question. Ray paused a few steps ahead of Peter, his eyes wide with interest. "Yes, I've made some serious 'boo-boos' in the past and yes, I wish I had done something different. But here's the thing Ray, every mistake isn't a black mark on our personal records, they're learning opportunities."

"But if you could-"

"Should've, could've, would've!" Peter listed off. "If we focus on the missed chances of the past then we'll overlook the 'should do, can do and will do' of the present and future." Peter put his hand on Ray's shoulder and rocked him back and forth on his feet lightly. "I don't have any regrets. And you shouldn't either." Releasing his grip Peter continued walking forward. "Come on, let's go see Janine."

Waiting alone Winston was quietly standing beside Janine's bed with his hand gently resting over top of her own. The always lively receptionist was still unconscious, she looked as if she was sleeping in the large hospital bed without a care in the world. Her glasses were neatly folded and sitting on the table beside the bed, the frames slightly dented from her fall. The white bandage covered the freshly stitched cut across her forehead, resting just above her left eye. There were no monitors hooked up so here which was always a good sign as it meant the risk of her suffering a severe complication were very minimal.

Ray and Peter joined Winston at her bedside and gave their injured friend a worried glance.

"She's stable." Winston almost whisper as if he was worried about waking Janine. "But she's still out of it."

Ray reached out with his good hand to brush a lock of her red hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Poor Janine."

Peter spoke up stoically. "She'll be fine. I'll stay here with her, you two should go back to the firehouse and check out the basement. Look for clues and try to find a way to track where that ghost went with Egon."

Winston nodded in agreement. "Good plan. There has to be something left behind we can use to our advantage."

"Peter, are you sure?" Ray didn't want to leave Janine behind without at least speaking with her.

"I'm sure. Go. If she tells me anything I'll call you right away."

Ray looked over to Winston as if he some how needed approval before making a decision. Winston patted Janine's hand gently before taking a step back from the bed. "Let's get going Ray. The sooner the better."

"Okay." Ray finally agreed. "I think a PKE scan of the basement is our best bet of finding a lead."

As Winston and Ray took their leave of the hospital room Peter pulled up a chair and sat beside Janine's bed. Despite the constant snipping going on between the abrasive psychologist and fiery receptionist the two actually did care about each other.

"Alright Janine, I'm not paying you to sleep on the job." Peter joked lightly. "It's time for you to answer some questions. Wake up for Dr. Venkman and I'll give you a raise!"

Janine didn't budge from her state of unconsciousness.

"Huh. Really thought that would work." Placing his hand on her arm leaned back in the chair to patiently wait for her to wake up. "Fine, we'll play by your rules."

* * *

 

Egon could taste the sickly sweet metal of fresh blood in his mouth. Blood dripped from his lips, his nose and a deep cut under his right eye; the orbit bone clearly broken from the physical abuse the tortured man had been forced to endure. His glasses had long since been broken, the mangled frames and shattered lenses littering the ground below his dangling form still suspended in the strong chains. His wrists ached mercilessly as the tight bonds cut into his bruised flesh, his shoulders threatening to separate at any moment from the relentless strain of his body pulling down on his stretched limbs.

The attacks of the shadowy minions had been precise and devastating with each blow. Deep slash marks on his arms, legs, chest and abdomen seeped blood through the torn fabric of his jumpsuit. The blood gathered in an ever growing puddle on the ground beneath him, soaking his broken glasses in the crimson liquid.

The siren and her lover ghost watched with great pleasure as the nearly unconscious physicist weakly lifted his head to look at his torturers. "For what it's worth," blood spat like bird shot from his lips as he spoke. "I am sorry that you were tormented by the containment unit, but I will not stop my work."

' _Noble, if not foolish._ ' The siren snarled as she snapped her fingers again, calling forth a second swarm of menacing minions. ' _You will beg for mercy_.'

* * *

 

Returning to the firehouse with Ecto-1 speeding down the street, Winston and Ray made their way to back headquarters in near record time. Backing the hearse into the garage Winston and Ray prepared to begin their exploration of the basement, scouring every inch of the room for a clue to Egon's current whereabouts.

"I'll get the PKE meter from the lab." Ray decided as he hastily climbed out of the car. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Winston jogged to the basement with his his mind completely focused on the task at hand. As the only witness to Egon's abduction he felt as though the responsibility for finding any useful information was his burden alone to bear. Flipping on the overhead light Winston gazed about the room, the traps that had been knocked to the ground made it look like a bomb had gone off. There was a dark stain on the ceiling from the shadowy ghost passing through and the misplaced gasket was still in the middle of the floor where they had found Janine.

"Now why is this thing even on the floor to begin with?" Winston wondered as he picked up the metallic part. His fingers were instantly sticky from the residual ectoplasm. "That's strange. Where'd the slime come from?"

Ray, who had retrieved the necessary meter, had walked into the basement behind Winston and overheard him thinking out loud. "Slime?"

"Yeah, it's on this new gasket you guys made." Holding out the part for Ray to see he watched as the PKE meter ran over the metal object. "Since when did the containment unit leak ectoplasm?"

"It's doesn't." Ray answered flatly. "This is the result of a secondary action."

"The ghost."

"Exactly." Ray finished scanning the gasket and followed the signature reading over to the containment unit, identifying the point of origin.

"Something here isn't lining up. Why did the ghost soak the gasket in slime and nothing else?"

"Because the ghost escaped from the containment unit." Ray realized with a twinge of fear in his heart. The meter crashed to the floor as it dropped from his now limp hand. "It must've squeezed through the small opening created by the loose gasket... It's my fault..."

"What? How is this your fault?"

"I'm the one who replaced the gasket!" Ray nearly yelled in frustration. "I'm the one who stupidly burned his hand and couldn't tighten it! I'm the one who forgot to check the containment unit for stability last night! I'm the one who let the ghost escape and let... Egon... and Janine... It's all my fault."

"No Ray!" Winston wasn't about to let his friend beat himself up over something that was beyond his control. "You didn't do any of this, alright? It was the ghost! The fact that is did escape but stuck around here means that ghost had a plan from the beginning. One way or another it was going to do what it did."

"My fault." Ray repeated as he pressed his back against the wall and slid down to the floor. He pressed his face into his hands and pulled his knees up to his chest."I'm such an idiot!"

"No you're not! Listen to me Ray!"

Lost in his own personal darkness Ray couldn't hear Winston speaking to him, all he could hear was his own self deprecating thoughts reprimanding his previous actions.

"Ray, I need you to focus!" Winston put his hands under Ray's on the sides of his face and lifted Ray's gaze until their eyes were level. "Egon wouldn't want you blaming yourself, Janine wouldn't want you blaming yourself. Focus on helping Egon and Janine! We need you Ray, we all need you to focus!"

"I... I'm so... useless!" Ray whimpered, his breathing was quick as if he were about to hyperventilate. "A failure..."

"Ray, stop." Winston begged. "Don't tear yourself apart. Please!"

"Such a failure." Ray muttered. "I can't do anything-"

Unwilling to listen or watch his friend destroy his own psyche Winston reared back his hand and gave Ray a firm slap to the face. "Snap out of it!"

"Ow..." Ray rubbed at his sore jaw while giving Winston a hurt stare. "What did you do that for?"

"Why not? You were already beating yourself up, why shouldn't I help?"

Ray was a little embarrassed by the remark.

"I didn't want to do it man, but I need you to pay attention." Offering his hand Winston waited for Ray to make his next move.

"You're right." Ray took Winston's hand and let his friend help him up to his feet. "We need to work together to find out what happened."

"And we already know that the ghost who took Egon came from the containment unit."

"Which means..." Ray looked over at the ethereal prison with a glimmer now in his formerly hurt filled eyes. "we have a record of who it was that escaped and its original point of manifestation!"

* * *

 

Sitting beside Janine's bed Peter rubbed his hand slowly over her arm hoping she'd wake up soon. Dr. Madison had stopped by for a brief exam and was still satisfied that Janine wasn't in critical condition. Time was all that stood between the Ghostbusters and finding Egon.

Staring up at the boring, white, plain, uninspiring ceiling Peter waited in silence for Janine to finally wake up. "Any time now Janine." A gentle stirring from the bed drew Peter's attention from the ceiling and back down to Janine. "Talk about good timing! Hey Janine, can you hear me?"

"Stop... Stop shouting." Her eyes fluttered open and shut again as the overhead lights were too much to bear with her pounding headache. "Ow, my head..."

Lowering his voice Peter stood up from the chair and leaned over the bed. "Janine, I now you're hurting right now but I need you to answer some questions."

"Only if you give me a handful aspirin." She moaned as she pressed her hand to eyes.

"Answer my questions and I'll get you a truck full of aspirin." Peter offered as his hand ran down her arm and gripped her hand firmly.

"Answer one for me first." She slowly opened her eyes and squinted at Peter as she squeezed her fingers around his hand. "What the hell happened?"

"Funny..." Peter trailed off a little as doubt set in. "That's what I was going to ask you."

Peter stood back as Dr. Madison entered Janine's room and gave the newly conscious woman a quick exam to check her memory overall mental faculties and to give Janine some medication to ease the horrible headache. Dr. Madison used a small penlight to check Janine's eyes, apologizing for the painfully bright light while checking her pupillary response. Despite the headache and sensitivity to her eyes Janine tracked Dr. Madison's finger as she moved it left and right, up and down. Acing the memory test and showing no signs of secondary trauma to the skull Dr. Madison left Janine and Peter alone to talk.

"How's your head?" Peter asked sincerely as he approached the bed again.

"Still hurts but not as bad." She motioned to the IV bag hanging on the stand beside her. "Whatever that stuff is I like it!"

Peter smiled at her attempts to remain lighthearted. "Think you can tell me what happened at the firehouse while we were gone?"

"I... I remember I went into the basement," Janine slowly sat upright in the bed as she thought back to the morning. "there was a weird noise and I went down to check it out."

"We found you in the basement." Peter confirmed. "What happened after you went down to check out the noise?"

"I think I found..." Janine was struggling to recall the events, but the severe blow to the head made it difficult to remember everything exactly. "there was something on the floor. It was a piece of metal."

"Ray said it was a piece of the containment unit. Was there anything else unusual?"

"Yeah, when I touched it I remember there was something on it. Something..."

"Slimy?"

"Yeah! That's it!" Janine was beginning to remember the smaller details as all the pieces fell into place. "That new part for the containment unit was sitting in the middle of the basement floor and when I touched it I found out it was all covered in slime. And that's when I heard a voice."

"A voice? Whose voice?" The idea of someone sneaking around in the basement was of great interest. "What did they say?"

"It was a deep, angry voice." Janine recalled. "It said 'Egon'. He said Egon's name!"

"That's a bad sign." Peter muttered to himself. "You you know why he was focused on Egon?"

"Well, when I was down in the basement I was thinking out loud. I must've associated the containment unit with Egon."

"And that's why the ghost honed in on him."

"The ghost did WHAT?"

"It, uh..." Peter wanted to kick himself for being so crass. "Look Janine, I'm going to be completely honest with you but you have to promise you won't get upset of try to leave the hospital. You need to take it easy."

Janine folded her arms defiantly over her chest. "Okay, I promise."

"The ghost, well, it sort of... took Egon."

"Took him... where?" Janine asked with a heavy heart.

"We don't know."

"Oh God."

"Now Janine," Peter grabbed onto her hand and held tightly. "don't panic. We're going to find Egon and we're going to bring him back. You need to stay here and rest, try not to think about it."

"How can I just sit here and do nothing?" Janine sounded as angry as she felt useless. "Egon is a good person! I want to help!"

"You already did!" Peter reassured her with full sincerity in his voice. "Now we have an idea as to why the ghost picked him. Clearly it's pissed off about our Ghostbusting equipment and just picked the first name he could associate with it."

"So it's MY fault..."

"No! Not your fault! That ghost was pick off one of us regardless of who said what!"

There was a knock on the door as Dana walked into the room with a vase of flowers in her hands. "Hi Janine."

"Dana." Janine was a little surprised to see her. "What're you doing here?"

"Peter told me what happened." She explained as she set the flowers on the table beside the bed. "And I'm here to keep you company while the guys look for Egon."

Peter smiled warmly at his beloved wife.

"I would've been here earlier," Dana continued. "but I needed to find a babysitter for Oscar."

Kissing Dana on the cheek Peter rushed toward the door. "Janine, don't worry about anything. We'll handle it. And Dana?"

She turned to look at her husband.

"God do I love you!" On that note he disappeared from sight and made his way toward the nearest payphone.

Janine looked down as immense guilt weighed in on her heart. If she had just kept quiet then maybe that ghost would've never attacked Egon.

Dana took Peter's chair and rested her hand on Janine's arm. "I'm worried about him, too." She confessed. "But I also know that Peter, Ray and Winston are three of the bravest, kindest men I've ever known. Egon will alright."

"I hope you're right."

Leaning in Dana gave Janine a much needed hug and just held her friend in the warm embrace. "So do I."

* * *

 

Ray painstakingly took stock of the readings on the digital display monitor attached to the containment unit. One by one he checked off the confirmed captures spirits within the unit, hoping to locate the singular escaped ghost; hoping that it was only the one ghost who managed to escape.

"Anything yet?" Winston asked as he held out the clipboard, checking away the ghosts as Ray listed them off. "We have to be at least half way through our roster by now."

"Actually we're only about twelve percent of the way through."

"You're... You're kidding!"

"Nope." Ray replied matter-of-factually. "There's a lot of ghosts in there... Some I haven't seen in years. Class-2 'gooper', Zeta confirmed."

"I forgot you guys were busting ghosts left and right before I joined the team." Winston reminisced as he checked off the ghost on the clipboard. "Think we'll ever fill the containment unit to the brim?"

"I hope not. Class-2 'gooper', Epsilon, confirmed."

"There has to be an easier way to do this!" Winston checked off the next ghost. "This is taking too long."

"If you think of something don't keep it to yourself!" Ray rubbed at his tired eyes as the bright image of the screen was starting to hurt. "Cataloging the ghosts isn't nearly as fun as it sounds... There has to be a way to narrow down the list quicker than this."

"The ghost I saw was a full-bodied apparition and it seemed intelligent. Does that help?"

"A little. It narrows it down to either a Class-3 or a Class-4 entity."

"Why are all the taxi cabs in the city covered in sugar and body odor?" Peter jogged down the basement stairs and slapped Ray on the shoulder. "I think I know a way to pinpoint the ghost exactly. According to Janine the ghost was laying in wait in the basement and as soon as she mentioned Spengz it attacked."

Ray turned and looked at his colleague with wild eyes. "Class-4. Something that can think and plan rather than existing solely on instinct is going to powerful."

"Then let's sort them out." Winston decided as he flipped the pages on the clipboard to the Class-4 ghosts that had been chronicled. "There's twenty six Class-4's in the unit."

"That helps." Ray resumed the search on the display.

Winston cleared his throat nervously. "So Janine is alright?"

"She has a headache but is otherwise okay. Dana is with her now."

"Does she know about Egon?"

Peter looked away guiltily. "Yeah. I sort of let it slip."

"Damn. I was hoping she wouldn't have to know."

"So was I."

Ray pointed his hand back toward Winston. "I think I'm onto something!"

"What is it Ray?"

"According to our data banks there is in fact one Class-4 ghost unaccounted for: Alpha, Beta, Zeta, Epsilon... I can't find Delta!"

"Delta." Winston pointed to the name on the list. "According to the list this ghost is marked under 'Intelligent Residual Phantasm'."

"The full details on this ghost should be in the second volume of the 'Spirit Tome' that Egon and I have been working on."

"Wait, volume?" Peter was astonished by the depth of the work that his colleagues had devoted themselves to. "Where are these volumes?"

"Over there." Ray pointed to the top shelf above the workbench. "There's only six right now."

"Only... six." Peter repeated. "Well I'm sure you'll get the lead out eventually."

Winston pulled down the required book and began flipping through the pages. "Okay, let's see..." Scanning each page carefully Winston located the ghost in question. "Got it, hey!" Winston turned the book for Peter and Ray to see. "This is him! This is the ghost me and Egon and faced off with!"

Depicted in phenomenal accuracy in a black and white sketch was the very ghost that had abducted Egon was portrayed in all its grisly glory. The same vacant eyes, exposed teeth and disheveled clothing were recorded in meticulous detail.

Peter took the book from Winston's hands. "According to the research you two had recorded, this ghost was a notorious gang member who was shot down by his own crew in the 1930s. Wonder why he has a beef with Egon?"

"Not sure." Ray shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he's still pissed about, you know, being murdered."

"Makes sense." Peter squared his jaw. "I know I'd be pretty upset. I'd probably take out my frustrations on the wrong people, too."

Winston took the book back from Peter. "Says here you guys caught him at an abandoned warehouse in Hell's Kitchen. Maybe that's where he took Egon."

"It's worth a shot." Ray was getting anxious again. "Let's go take a look."

* * *

 

Bound by the unbreakable ethereal chains Egon couldn't feel anything but a penetrating coldness that chilled him down to his bones. All he could hear was the deafening sound of his own heart pounding in his head with uncontrollably quick, painful beats. The acrid smell of blood filled the air as it collected in an ever growing puddle on the concrete floor beneath the suspended body of the abducted physicist.

A trail of blood trickled down from Egon's swollen lips and nose, staining his torn jumpsuit with dark spots of crimson. His left eye had swollen shut completely under the blackened bruise that identified the fractured orbit bone. The multiple deep lacerations that marred his chest, abdomen, legs and arms continued to seep blood from the painful wounds.

Tattered fabric from the jumpsuit and t-shirt clung pathetically by strands of fabric that covered Egon's body.

Immense blood loss and hypothermia caused Egon's weakened body to shiver, the rattling sound of the metallic links in the chain rang out like a dirge for the dying Ghostbuster.

' _Had enough_?' The siren toyed with Egon. Her long, icy fingers wrapped under his chin and lifted his face until he was forced to lock a single blurry eye on his spectral captor. ' _I do so enjoy watching you suffer, but all good things must come to an end. Name your companions and save yourself_.'

Egon blinked slowly as he couldn't hear her words. Reading her lips he found a renewed sense of resolve and lifted his head up and away from her touch. "I told you," the blood flowed from his mouth and spattered outward with every syllable. "I alone constructed the containment unit."

 _'Liar_.' The siren reared her hand back and struck him across the face with a powerful slap. Blood flew from his mouth and rained over the floor. ' _You are indeed brilliant_ ,' she admitted in a hissing tone. ' _but one man alone cannot possibly hold the responsibility. Name your allies_.'

Tearing his gaze away from the siren Egon refused to give in, refused to endanger the lives of his friends.

' _Then so be it_.' The siren had grown impatient with her hostage and his stubbornness. ' _I shall enjoy ending you_.'

Egon didn't flinch at the threat and accepted his impending fate. Unwilling to give the siren the pleasure of seeing him squirm he took in a deep breath and prepared for the finishing blow.

The siren lifted her hand and presented it to Egon as her already long fingers stretched out into sharpened daggers of bone. Dragging her index finger across Egon's face she drew blood from his cheek and watched as it beaded on his skin.

Pulling her hand back she gathered her fingers together, forming a bundle of five daggers and hovered her touch just over Egon's chest, aiming directly at his pounding heart.

' _Wait..._ ' Her ghostly lover interfered. ' _Egon will... become one of us..._ '

The siren sneered with hatred in her eyes as she kept her hand steady.

' _Do not give... Egon a chance to warn... his allies..._ ' The rotting ghost had regained some strength and his speech was less halting. ' _There are drawing... near... I can sense it... They will... come for him..._ '

The siren lowered her hand and floated away from Egon. ' _Indeed. Your death is insignificant._ ' She admitted bitterly. ' _But for the moment your life is invaluable. Perhaps I shall keep you a little longer_.'

Unable to resist any longer Egon's eye shut and his head fell as the sweet release of unconsciousness overtook him.

* * *

 

Ecto-1 raced frantically through the streets as Ray navigated the proper route to the warehouse from the backseat of the iconic hearse. Winston controlled the car with skill and precision as he wove down the lengthy streets to the abandoned building in Hell's Kitchen. Peter remained steadfast and uncharacteristically quiet as he watched the numerous buildings whirring by through the windshield of the hearse.

"It should be two blocks away and on the left." Ray instructed as he used the worn out city map to pinpoint the correct warehouse. "According to historical records about the warehouse it was once a hideout for various criminals, a speakeasy, an underground casino AND the scene of many 'accidents' from 1902 through 1937."

"Let me guess," Peter finally spoke up. "in 1937 there was an infamous, potentially unsolved murder and it involved our little ghost friend who took Egon hostage. Now it's a gateway to Hell."

"Right." Ray confirmed as Ecto-1 pulled up in front of the warehouse. "There was a murder that involved a crime boss known only as 'The Executive'. He had a powerful gang that controlled virtually every company, business and cop in the city."

As the trio exited the car and prepared their proton packs Ray continued the story.

"In order to keep his power over the city 'The Executive' demanded absolute loyalty from every member of his gang and didn't take kindly to his boys fraternizing with anyone outside of 'work'."

"Sounds like a real stand-up guy." Peter remarked as he helped Winston to slip on his proton pack. "Honorable, trustworthy... neurotic."

"On a rainy night in 1937," Ray resumed laying out the details. "the right hand man of 'The Executive', known as 'The Apprentice' was late to a meeting because he had spent the night with his 'lady friend'. When he finally arrived 'The Executive' had labeled 'The Apprentice' as a rat and decided he needed to go. After beating 'The Apprentice' half to death with his bare hands 'The Executive' shot him six times and threw him out on the streets to die."

Winston tightened the straps on his proton pack. "Sounds like the perfect setting for a haunting one justifiably pissed off ghost."

"But that's not where the story ends." Ray powered up the thrower on his pack. "Sometime in the night 'The Apprentice' disappeared from the street. His body was nowhere to be found, but there was blood everywhere. No one knows where he went or who took his body."

"What happened to 'The Executive'?" Winston asked as he, Ray and Peter cautiously approached the warehouse.

"He was found dead in the alley behind the warehouse hours later on the same rainy night. Someone shot him. His killer was never identified and no suspect was ever named."

Peter gave Ray an uncomfortable glance. "Creepy."

"Most legends and true horror stories are." Ray confirmed.

"Not the story Ray, I'm referring to that little twinkle in your eye that always shows up when you start talking about New York's shady past. I worry about you sometimes."

Winston shook his head slowly at the odd conversation. "Alright, this is the place." Switching on his own thrower he armed himself and prepared to kick in the boarded up doors of the ware. "Are you ready for this?"

Ray and Peter stood beside Winston outside the doors of the warehouse, no man knowing what the expect on the other side.

Peter unsheathed his thrower and powered up the device. "Ready. Let's find Egon and kick some ass!"

Using a single swift, powerful kick Winston's heavy boot kicked through the aged, rotting wooden boards that barred the entrance to the abandoned warehouse. A cloud of choking dust wafted up through the air as the doors burst open and the natural rays of the sunlight poured through the doorway illuminating the long untouched floor in a wash of yellow and white.

"Egon?! Where are you?" Winston called out as he took the first step inside the warehouse. His voice echoed solemnly through the empty structure as his question rang out unanswered. "Egon! Say something!"

Ray unclipped the PKE meter from this belt and tuned it to Egon's biorhythms. The displayed never flickered. Egon wasn't there.

"Nothing." Ray turned off the meter. "This is where the ghost took him."

"Damn it." Winston dropped his head and stared at the dusty floor.

"We'll find him." Ray encouraged sincerely. "We just need to keep looking."

"Ray's right." Peter stepped up and decided to take charge on the situation. "If we can figure out where the ghost would go we can find Egon. So Ray, is there any other secret hideout connected to this warehouse?"

"Several I suppose." Ray turned off his proton pack and the others followed suit. "It's not like the most power crime boss in the city would lock up everything in one location."

"I knew it." Peter replied as he snapped his fingers in a positive response. "We should go back to headquarters and look more into this 'Executive' and his 'Apprentice'. Cold cases from the beginning of the 19th century can't be that cold, right?"

* * *

 

Egon could feel his physical strength failing even as his mental resolve continued to struggle onward. Fighting through the darkness he forced himself to return to the waking world and prepared to endure the relentless torture of the siren and her ghost lover.

' _Such spirit_.' The siren taunted as she floated in a circle around Egon. ' _It'd be a shame to break it_.'

"What... What happened to you?" Egon whispered hoarsely, his throat dry and sore from dehydration. "Why torture me? You've... You've been reunited with your love..."

The siren was almost stunned by the question. Ceasing her circle around Egon she put her icy cold hand on his shoulder and rested it there almost gently as if to caress the injured man as she leaned in to speak. ' _Love and hatred go hand in hand_.' She whispered in his ear, her chilled lips barely brushing against his ear like a passing kiss. ' _For one to love so passionately hatred must burn fiercely. My love had been taken from me leaving only the hatred to rage like a wildfire_.'

"You didn't answer my question..." Egon coughed weakly, his body wracking against the heavy chains as the spasms tore through his damaged body.

' _In time_.' She floated away from Egon and faded into the darkness to join her lover. ' _It will all become clear._ '

* * *

 

At the hospital Janine was resting comfortably with Dana sitting beside the bed. The two women had become rather good friends over the years and had learned to not only trust one another but to trust the Ghostbusters with their lives. As a result Janine was feeling particularly like a nuisance seeing as she had been attacked by the ghost and was now stuck in the hospital instead of being able to assist the guys with their research.

"I sure hope they find Egon soon." Janine mumbled, almost afraid to bring up the touchy subject again.

"They will." Dana continued to reassure the rightfully worried receptionist. "They saved me and Oscar from things I couldn't even begin to imagine and that was long before I knew them as friends. I just know they'll find Egon and bring him back home."

"Yeah. I just hate waiting." Janine admitted. "Egon says my impatience is what makes me so efficient at dealing with Peck."

"Speaking of which," Dana gingerly changed the topic. "does he know what's going on right now?"

"No. There's no way any of the guys would willingly call that jerk, let alone tell him about Egon. Peck would have a field day using this incident to justify all his rules and regulations against the Ghostbusters."

"Want me to go back to the firehouse and see how things are doing?"

"Nah, let the guys alone. No news is good news, right?"

"Right." Dana agreed, relieved to know that Janine was sounding more like her usual fiery self again. "I'm going to call the babysitter and get some coffee. Would you like some?"

"If you can find some chamomile tea for me I'll tell Louis to make sure you get a major return on your taxes next year."

Dana smiled at the remark. "I'll see what I can do. Sit tight and try not to worry!"

As soon as Dana left the room Janine put a hand to her face and began silently sobbing into her opened palm. Pulling her legs up to her chest she wrapped around herself and began weeping as her emotional reserve had met its limit and broke.

"I'm so sorry Egon!" She apologized openly to no one in the room. "Please be okay! I... I don't want to lose you!"

* * *

 

Toiling away deep in the basement of the firehouse the three Ghostbusters began sifting through the old newspapers which documented all the historical events in the city. The depth of material was vast and would required some significant time to locate the proper information, but the clever trio had learned many tricks revolving around hasty yet efficient research. Dividing the articles three ways each man began a meticulous search without hesitation.

"Check this out guys." Winston waved Peter and Ray over to join him at the workbench to overlook the newspaper article he had uncovered from the stacks upon stacks of decades old newspapers on loan from the New York Public Library. "I think I found the story Ray was telling us about at the warehouse."

Peter happily set aside the large tome depicting all of the infamous crime lords across the country while Ray scrambled from his computer monitor that had the information on the cold case on display.

"Is that him?" Ray asked knowing that only Egon and Winston had a clear look at the ghost's face.

"I think so." Winston held a magnifying glass over the photograph that had been printed with the article to get a better look. "It's possible. I mean, the ghost's face was pretty rough and deteriorated."

"Just a moment." Ray grabbed the volume and isolated the correct page featuring the ghost in question. With the detailed sketch of the ghost lining up next to the photo Ray and Winston began comparing the notable features. "The nose looks right..."

"The brow ridge," Winston confirmed. "same jawline and hairline. This just has to be our guy!"

Peter leaned over Ray and Winston's shoulder to take a look for himself. "So we can confirm that it was this 'Apprentice' who took Egon?"

"Yeah, that's the guy." Winston tapped his finger accusingly on the photo. "No doubt about it."

"Now we just need to figure out where he went with Egon." Ray sighed in a somewhat defeated manner. "But where do we begin?"

"Yeah," Peter had an interesting idea on the matter. Putting an inquisitive hand to his chin he began thinking out loud. "we need to figure out where the 'Apprentice' went. And I think the best way to do that is to figure out where he went on that rainy night in 1937."

"That's what we're doing." Ray answered obliviously as Peter's sly tone of voice went unchecked.

"No, Ray, not just that." Peter slapped a hand somewhat aggressively against Ray's shoulder. "We need to figure out where his body went the night he was murdered. I mean, dead people don't just get up and walk away."

"Actually-" Ray tried to raise a rebuttal but Peter continued speaking.

"As far as the police know he died in the street after being tortured and shot," Peter explained coolly." but his body was never found. What if the reason no one could find his body is because he didn't actually die in the street?"

Both Ray and Winston were instantly intrigued by Peter's theory.

"This guy was beaten soundly and left to die, but no one could actually be bothered to watch him die. And Ray, you said that this guy was picked off because of a lady friend, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. He was late because he spent time with- Oh... I think I know where you're going with this!"

Winston caught on quickly. "We need to figure out who this lady is in order to figure out where 'The Apprentice' was earlier that night..."

* * *

 

The ghost and his siren lover watched from the cold darkness of the room as their hostage lost his strength, his life slipping away with every passing second he was left to dangle in the chains and bleed uncontrollably from his many wounds. The entire room was icy cold, the air heavy with dust, mold and fresh blood. If the two ghosts were capable of feeling anything beside rage it was possible they'd be nauseated by the scene that they had willingly created.

' _He is resilient_.' The siren complimented as Egon clung to life despite his devastating injuries. ' _His death would affect his friends greatly_.'

' _He is... fortunate..._ ' The ghost still wheezed despite his voice growing stronger. ' _His friends are... loyal... I was not so... lucky..._ ' Taking the sirens hand in his own the ghost delved into his their shared past. ' _I had only... you..._ '

' _We had each other_.' The siren whispered softly. ' _No one will tear us apart again_.'

The ghost glared at Egon with its burning red hot eyes. ' _Then soon he... will have to leave us..._ '

Egon never moved. His body was as still as the room was dark.

' _It is for the best._ ' The siren decided. ' _He and his friends will come for us, imprison us, divide us_.'

' _I will not... allow it..._ '

Raising her hand again the siren transformed the fingers on her hand into five sharpened bone daggers. ' _I offer this one final chance_ ,' the siren called out from the darkness to Egon. ' _name your allies and I will be quick and merciful with your death_.'

Mustering the fading strength left in his body Egon lifted his head and stared blankly with one eye into the darkness. Responding in a low, hoarse voice barely above a whisper Egon made his final decision. "I name... myself."

* * *

 

Continuing the search for the identity of mystery woman and the fate of 'The Apprentice' on that fateful night in 1937, Peter surrounded himself in piles of aged and worn newspaper articles, while Ray and Winston pulled up every digital file on public record revolving around all of the criminal activity that tore through the city during the deprave decade.

Ray mindlessly scrolled through the numerous articles while Winston read through each line quickly but precisely. Scratching at his healing hand through the dirtied and loosened bandages Ray did his best to endure the extreme pain that overtaken his hand as a result of neglecting proper care. "Anything yet?"

"Nothing." Winston replied with just as much dreariness in his voice as Ray. "How about you Peter?"

"Hmm..." Peter tossed aside a handful of the newspaper clippings when an old photo caught his attention. "I think I may have found something..."

"What's that?" Ray asked as he happily tore his tired eyes away from the bright display screen to look at Peter over his shoulder.

"Check out this photo printed in 1936." He tossed the referenced photo over to Ray who clumsily caught it with both hands. "I think those two make a lovely couple, don't you?"

Ray smoothed out the newspaper on the desk while Winston leaned into take a look. "Hey, you're right! That's 'The Apprentice', and that must be his 'lady friend'!"

Winston agreed. "She sure looks like it. She's hanging onto his arm and smiling like she just walked down the aisle."

The photo that had been uncovered by Peter showed a group of infamous criminals standing outside one of the many illegal gambling clubs that had been owned by 'The Executive'. Aside from the leader himself four other members of his gang, including 'The Apprentice', were gathered around their leader with brash smiles and arrogant postures. On the far left side of the photo stood 'The Apprentice', a man with a strong chin, dark hair that was slicked back under a fedora and dark eyes stood tall as a young beautiful woman, leggy, blonde, blue eyes, ruby red lips and a figure to envy hung from his offered arm.

"She must be the woman that got 'The Apprentice killed!" Ray decided eagerly.

"But who is she?" Winston pointed back to the photo before returning his attention to the display monitor and the article on record. "There aren't any names for any of the people in the article."

Peter leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. "Must've been taken secretly by a news reporter. But I bet someone as attractive as she was wouldn't be overlooked by anyone else in the area. She had to have been a mini-celebrity in her own right."

"I bet you're right," Ray stared at the gorgeous woman in near awe. "she must've been somebody important. An actress, a singer or a-"

"Dancer." Winston replied firmly. "I found her!"

Ray looked over Winston's shoulder to check out the display, while Peter casually stood up from his chair and strolled over to take a look as well. "You found her? What's her story?"

"According to this," Winston began the summary calmly. "the woman's name was Olivia Hale. She was an accomplished dancer, singer and took part in several Broadway plays back in the day. Ms. Hale," Winston continued. "had grown up poor on the streets of Chicago and honed in on her natural talents to make ends meet. She moved out here to New York, moving into a hotel room to live after finishing school and found some moderate success before the Great Depression devastated everything she had ever worked for. She had apparently made a deal with several criminals in exchange for money, but it looks like 'The Apprentice' chose to treat her more like a friend than a tool. What a guy."

"Ah yes," Peter dryly interjected. "true love. Finding that one person you just can't bring yourself to take advantage of."

Ray shook his head as he absentmindedly toyed with his bandaged hand. "Well, now we know who she is and where she came from, but what happened to her the night 'The Apprentice' was gunned down?"

"Apparently... Nothing!" Winston sounded rather disappointed. "All records of her end on that night! It's like she and 'The Apprentice' just... disappeared."

"Or ran away from home." Peter suggested casually.

"Maybe they eloped?" Ray offered his own opinion on the matter. "They could've skipped town, got married, changed their names... You know, vanished after the gang turned against them. They'd have to find a place to hide! Like some kind of witness protection or something."

Peter put a thoughtful hand to his chin. "Hey wait, Winston, you said our oh-so-lovely mystery woman lived in a hotel?"

"Yeah, that's what the article said." Winston confirmed. "She lived in the top floor corner penthouse of the old 'Baltic Hotel' over in Queens. The Baltic used to be the most luxurious hotel in the entire city before the Sedgewick and others like it were built." During his explanation he had scrolled back to an article revolving around the hotel and its sad past. "Just like our mystery woman the hotel fell on hard times during the Great Depression and shut down in 1938. It's been abandoned ever since."

"Gentlemen," Peter confidently put his hands on Ray and Winston's shoulders firmly as a moment of triumph was at hand. "we have our destination."

Ray's eyes widened with fear for the safety of their missing friend. "If you're right and Egon has been held captive in an abandoned building for so long..." He trailed off and looked down at his bandaged hand, ignoring the pain that had flared up ever since he began working. "Let's just hope we're not too late!"

Ecto-1 pulled out of the firehouse with Ray behind the wheel. Winston sat beside Ray in the front seat and stared intently at the darkening streets as the hearse raced to the dilapidated hotel that had long since been forgotten. Peter was sitting in the backseat of the car, he leaned over the front seat and stared through the windshield with absolute focus.

"So Peter, how did you think to look into the history of the hotel?" Winston asked, hoping the conversation wouldn't distract Ray from his driving.

"Are you kidding?" Peter replied dryly. "Creepy hotels with a questionable past is as iconic as New York itself! After all the creeps we've cleaned out of the Sedgewick, a hotel that is still up and running and very popular, I can only imagine what we'll find in the abandoned Baltic Hotel... In fact, I wish I could stop thinking about it."

Ray took a sharp turn that sent the guys flying over against their doors. "Sorry about that..." Ray grumbled. "I'm not exactly sure where the Baltic is."

"It should be down the next block." Winston instructed as he re-positioned himself in his seat. "It'll be on the corner."

"Yeah, look for the rotting building that no sane person would ever dare enter." Peter snarked as he tightened his seat belt. "Who taught you how to drive?"

"There it is!" Winston pointed to the hotel on the right side of the street. "The Baltic."

As the hearse came to a stop along the street the three men looked up at the hotel and felt an icy vice tighten around their hearts. The hotel had been left to rot for decades. All of the windows were dirty, broken and most of them covered up by thick boards. Long fissures ran up the building from the ground as damage to the foundation had destabilized the building itself. There were no lights, no movement. Even the letters for the name 'Baltic' seemed like a hollow identity as they hung loosely from jagged nails and eroded bolts.

"Egon is in there somewhere, I know it!" Ray climbed out of the car and stood in awe in front of the hotel. "We have to save him!"

"And we will." Winston remained calm and composed. "Get your gear, we don't know what we're going to run into in there."

The siren dragged her sharpened talons across Egon's battered chest, a trail of blood seeped through the fabric as her bony claws cut into his flesh through the layers of fabric. Beaten and tortured Egon didn't have the strength to resist her touch, let alone respond to the horrific pain he had been forced to endure.

' _His friends_...' The ghost hissed from the shadows. ' _They are here_... _I can sense them_...'

The siren retracted her grip and floated away from Egon. Joining her lover in the darkness the siren stared at her prisoner with a twisted glee. 'Then we shall greet them, properly.'

Using flashlights to illuminate the interior of the hotel Peter, Ray and Winston all walked into the main lobby of the building eyed the structure warily through the boards over the front door.

"I got this." Winston pulled the boards off the door by prying up the rotten corners that were nailed down over the door frame. One by one Winston pulled the boards away and granted himself and his colleagues access to the hotel.

"Careful." Ray cautioned as he listened to every creak and groan the building made. "We need to watch every step we take."

As Winston cleared the door Peter stepped forward and pointed his flashlight into the center of the lobby. An old desk sat idle, covered in dust, cobwebs, mold and fallen plaster. There was an old phone sitting on the corner of the desk, its wire fringed and exposed from years of neglect. Old paintings had been warped from age and the wallpaper was peeling from the walls, creating a sickly smell of mildew and dust.

"No one in sight." Peter observed as he took a slow step inside the lobby. "If we need to get to the top floor then we need to find the stairs."

"I think only the employees used the stairs in this place," Winston noted. "so we should find an entry point somewhere behind the desk."

Ray was the last to enter. He was petrified, not for his own safety but for that of his friends. Itching at his sore hand he nervously staked out the area and kept his eyes peeled for any stairs to lead them to the top.

"Here." Peter shined his flashlight onto an old sign with the word 'Stairs' long since faded. "One at a time though. I don't want to fall through the steps."

"You're right." Winston stepped into the stairwell and pointed his flashlight straight up. The beam stretched upward for ten stories before coming into contact with the moldy ceiling. "Who's going up first?"

"I'll go." Ray volunteered. "As soon as I clear the second floor I'll call back down."

Peter and Winston stepped aside as Ray dared to set foot on the first step. Testing his weight he slowly began walking up the stairs. Each step sounded eerie as the floorboards creaked, groaned and warped under his boots. Dust outlined his boots and wafted up slowly as the movement easily disturbed the long dormant air of the hotel.

As Ray tentatively cleared the first landing he leaned over the banister, careful not to put all of his weight on the dry rotted railing, and called down his friends below. "Okay, I'm on the second floor."

Winston motioned for Peter to proceed. "I'll take up the rear. If I see the boards shifting or anything I'll let you know."

"Gee, thanks for that thought." Peter muttered as he proceeded to follow Ray up the stairs. He too kept his pace slow and footsteps light as the trio worked their way from the ground floor to the top floor of the old hotel. "Stairs... Why do we always have to meet under such dire circumstances?"

* * *

 

' _They are close..._ ' The ghost whispered as he continuously sensed the location of the three Ghostbusters approaching the top floor. ' _I almost... admire... their loyalty..._ '

' _Loyalty has doomed us to this Hell_.' The siren cursed as she stared with hatred in her eyes at Egon. ' _Misery loves company. We should allow his friends to join him before we finish them off_.'

* * *

 

"Tenth floor..." Ray mumbled as he stood against the wall beside the stairwell entry. The chipped plaster and peeling wallpaper clung to his jumpsuit. "I made it up."

Shortly thereafter Peter joined him. "I'm here." He turned and looked down the hall toward the East wing. There was a large set of double doors that connected to a massive private room. "Is that it?"

"I think so." Ray used the PKE meter to scan the air. "There's a lot of psychokinetic activity in the area."

"What about Egon?"

Flipping a dial on the side of the meter Ray located and isolated Egon's biorhythms. "I can't detect anything, we may not be close enough to him."

Peter bowed his head as a dark thought entered his mind. "...or maybe there's nothing to detect."

"Don't say that." Ray scolded as he turned off the meter and clipped it back to his belt. "Don't ever say that!" Ray could hear himself telling Peter not to think such horrible thoughts, but he felt like a hypocrite seeing as he was feeling just as bleak about the situation. "We're not leaving without Egon."

Winston made it to the top of the stairs, having heard what Peter said from inside the stairwell. "We'll find him Peter."

"Come on." Ray marched toward the double doors. "The ghost is through here for sure, and I have a hunch that he won't be alone!"

Testing the handles on the door Ray found that the door was locked and even after years of neglect the lock itself was holding firm.

Peter stepped up beside Ray and then pressed his back against the wall. "Winston, if you'd do the honors..."

"It'd be my pleasure." Winston stood in front of the doors and waited for Peter and Ray to both be clear. Using a well aimed and strong kick Winston booted down the door by striking right in the middle. The two doors flew open with a loud bang that echoed through the entire building as it shook. "Open for business."

The three flashlights beam shone through the opened door and into the expansive room that had been neglected for as long as the hotel had been. Finding the room to be seemingly void of furniture and people the three Ghostbusters stepped inside.

"Nothing." Peter stated bluntly. "There's nothing in here and no one around. We can't be wrong again, Egon just has to be here!"

Ray moved in first and stopped in the center of the room, sweeping his flashlight over the room while Peter and Winston followed close behind, he felt his blood run cold as the light illuminated a figure suspended in chains from the ceiling in the center of the room. A dark red pool of spilled blood spreading outward like a ripple in pond from beneath the suspended figure.

"Egon..." Ray whispered as he choked back a painful sob. "Not like this..."

Ray, Peter and Winston stared in shocked awe at the sight of their injured friend. The three flashlight beams quivered with fear as they focused on the bloody jumpsuit that covered Egon's beaten body. Every drop of blood that fell from his still bleeding wounds glistened in the light before splashing down and collecting in the blood puddle that had long since formed since the beginning of his torture.

"We need to get him down!" Ray urged as he raced over to Egon, blood splashing up from the floor and onto his boots and legs. Examining the chains up close Ray hones in on the thick metal shackles that crushed into Egon's wrists. "Unfasten the locks on his wrists!"

Winston moved in and wrapped his arms around Egon's chest. Holding Egon upward he was able to take the deadweight off of the shackles so Ray and Peter could free Egon's wrists.

"Got it." Ray confirmed as he unsnapped the metal shackle on Egon's left wrist. Carefully he lowered Egon's bleeding arm down until it was draping limply over Winston's shoulder.

"He's free." Peter unfastened the second shackle and helped Winston support the full weight of Egon's unconscious, broken body.

"I got him." Winston was able to easily lift Egon up into his strong arms.

Egon was completely unaware of the arrival of his friends. His entire body was cold, limp, heavy and nearly lifeless. As blood dripped down from his cold, pale skin his head lolled back against Winston's broad shoulder.

Carrying him 'bridal-style' Winston moved Egon away from the dangling metallic chains and over to the far wall. Kneeling down he cradled Egon's body in his arms. "He's cold. Possibly hypothermic."

Peter moved in beside Winston and practically pulled Egon away from the safe arms of the marine and held onto him in a tight hug. "He's dying!" Putting hand beneath Egon's neck and head he pulled his friend close to his own body in attempt to offer some form of comfort.

Winston pressed his fingers against the side of Egon's neck and found the thready pulse. Placing his hand gently down on Egon's chest he could barely feel the weak breaths that trembled beneath his palm. "His ribs are broken, three on the left and four on the right. Congestion in both lungs means he either has a nasty infection or fluid building up from trauma."

Ray unclipped the PKE meter from his belt and waved it over Egon. The small display showed the weak vital signs compared to his usual healthy biorhythms on record. "Internal bleeding..." Ray quietly stated. "in his chest and abdomen. His heart rate is too fast and his blood pressure is too low."

"Broken left wrist," Winston continued to list Egon's numerous injuries, his voice become lower and lower with each word. "dislocated left shoulder, multiple lacerations across his body..." Gently Winston pressed his fingers against Egon's swollen eye and tried to check his pupils. "fractured orbit, can't check his pupilary response but it'd be best to treat as if he has a concussion until we can confirm anything."

"What can we do?" Peter asked feeling helpless as he held Egon tighter against his chest in a protective hug.

Winston's instincts as a paramedic kicked in full gear. "Apply pressure to the wounds, elevate the legs and keep him warm. He's in shock."

"How do we do that? We don't have anything with us but the proton packs and flashlights!"

"Like this." Winston pressed his hands down on the torn fabric of Egon's jumpsuit and pressed the garment down against the most severe lacerations that marred his chest.

Egon groaned in response but never opened his eyes.

"We need to get him out of here!" Peter practically yelled. "Let's move! NOW."

The doors of the room slammed shut as the siren and her ghost lover encroached upon the Ghostbusters from the sanctuary of their shadows.

Ray jumped and grabbed onto Egon's arm protectively. "I don't think we can leave."

"We have to!" Peter refuted like a temperamental child. "We'll find a way and take Egon with us."

Winston gave Ray a glance that spoke volumes of uncertainty. "Peter," Winston put his hand on the psychologists shoulder. "he's already dead, his heart just doesn't know to stop beating."

"No!" Peter refused to believe. "You don't know that, you can't know that! You're not a doctor!"

"...I am..." A weak voice hoarsely interjected.

The three Ghostbusters looked down in absolute shock as Egon somehow managed to fight his way back into the waking world. His dried, cracked lips stained with blood barely moved as he spoke in a whisper.

"...Winston... what is... wrong with me?"

Swallowing his grief Winston respectfully told Egon the truth about his condition. "You're suffering from severe blood loss and severe blow to your head. Your heart is weak, your lungs are congested, you're hemorrhaging in your chest and your abdomen. Broken ribs, hypothermia... Impending infection."

"He's right..." Egon admitted feebly. "There is-" A harsh cough tore through his battered body which caused Peter to hug him tighter while Winston pressed down on his chest to try and keep him steady. Blood spattered from Egon's lips as he tried to cover his mouth with his arm, but he didn't have the strength to move.

Peter ran his hand through Egon's hair while Winston and Ray gingerly pressed down on Egon's chest and uninjured shoulder until the coughing fit passed.

Egon opened his one good eye and struggled to focus on the caring faces of his friends looking down at him in the dark room. "...You have a good bedside manner... Peter." Giving one final faint smile Egon closed his eyes and his head rolled to the side. "Thank you, for finding me..."

"Egon?" Peter called his friend's name defiantly. "Egon! Open your eyes! Come on man, please! Wake up! You're strong! Stay with us!"

Ray wiped a tear from his eye as he watched the life draining away from Egon's bloodied body. "Peter... We'll think of something, we won't let him die! Even if it means tearing this building apart brick by brick!"

Winston checked Egon's, slowing, pulse again. "Let me carry him, I can break down the door and get him out to the car."

From the shadows the siren emerged. ' _No_.' The siren hissed with a dark presence weighing in her voice. ' _You took my love from me, you will suffer as we have_.'

Peter was angry. He had never encountered this siren before, he had done nothing to her. "What's killing Egon going to do for you? You're already dead!"

' _It will make you hurt_.' She replied with a coldness that was unlike anything Peter had ever heard before.

Ray shut his eyes tightly, unable to look at Egon any longer but unwilling to face the ghost herself. "You're right, this is hurting us! But why? What did we do to you to deserve this? What did Egon ever do to you!"

The ghost hovered beside the siren. ' _You imprisoned... me... Egon imprisoned... me..._ '

"It wasn't anything personal!" Winston defended. "We didn't know anything about you when you were captured. Now we do. We know what happened to you all those years ago, but we weren't responsible for that."

' _You know?..._ ' The ghost challenged. ' _Who... am I?..._ '

Peter glared at the ghost with abject hatred burning in his eyes, a hatred that was only matched by the coldness of the siren's voice. "You were 'The Apprentice'. Gunned down in 1937 on a rainy night by 'The Executive', your body disappeared and whoever murdered your former boss as retaliation was never identified." Looking past the ghost to the siren Peter shot her a wicked stare. "I bet it was you, Miss Olivia Hale!"

Ray and Winston didn't bother to look at their ghost captors. Egon's life was more important to them than a couple of bitter spirits with a grudge.

The siren's gaze softened as the passion in Peter's voice impressed her otherwise stone cold facade. ' _You know about us. You know we were innocent_.'

Peter's tone lightened. "Yeah, we know. The cops couldn't figure it out but I think I know what happened." Tightening his arm around Egon he dared to press his dying friend against his chest in a strong embrace. "After he was gunned down you found him, right? You took him to safety but he... he didn't pull through. Out of heartbreak you waited for 'The Executive' to leave the warehouse and you shot him out of revenge."

The siren nodded. ' _This much is true_.'

"But I imagine that a smart crime lord like him wasn't unarmed. You were shot too."

The ghost of 'The Apprentice' wrapped his arm around the siren's nearly transparent shoulders.

Peter studied the ghosts who held them all prisoner in the abandoned penthouse. Seeing that he was on the right track he put the pieces of the puzzle together. "You hid out here, in the penthouse. This is where you died."

The siren lifted her hand and created a small orb of glowing orange light. The light's glow fully illuminated the room and revealed that tucked away in the dark corner was an old bed. Laying on the bed were two bodies, one of a man and the other of a woman.

Ray glanced over his shoulder at the two forgotten corpses and flinched. "You were separated when he died in the alley," Ray realized with a pit in his stomach. "his spirit haunted the warehouse and the docks while your own spirit," he referred to the siren with a lilt of sympathy in his voice. "was trapped here in the penthouse because this is where you died."

The two ghosts had somehow become less grotesque in appearance, their features melting into more recognizable human faces.

Winston kept his hands firmly placed down on Egon's chest in a desperate bid to stem the bleeding. "You two were separated in life and in death. We caught his ghost without even knowing about hers."

Peter felt a warm tear rolling down his face as his emotional fortitude was beginning to breakdown. "You lost your lives because of love. You let a man full of rage and paranoia tear you two apart, and if you let Egon die then you're no better than the man who killed you!"

A visible flinch wracked through the siren and the ghost as the harsh truth set in.

"Let us save our friend," Peter pleaded dolefully. "and we'll make sure you two get the proper burial you deserve. You'll be together in the afterlife, I promise!"

The siren and the ghost held hands and gazed at one another longingly. The witch like appearance of the siren had faded entirely, the beautiful young woman from the newspaper article now stood before the Ghostbusters as she caressed her hand down the ghost's face. He too had regained his former appearance, his rotting flesh replaced by the warm complexion of the handsome gentleman he had once been.

' _We will not... be separated again..._ ' The ghost demanded as he held the siren's translucent hands firmly between his own. ' _Help your friend... Give us peace..._ '

"We will!" Ray promised excitedly. "We'll contact the police and tell them where you are! They'll be sure you're given a proper burial and that 'The Executive' will be held accountable posthumously. Please! Let us save our friend!"

' _Very well..._ ' The ghost and the siren circled around the Ghostbusters and enveloped the reunited quartet in a thick blanket of darkness.

The smell of of the city filled the air as the four Ghostbusters found themselves now sitting on the sidewalk beside the parked car.

"Hurry!" Peter reacted quickly as he lifted Egon up from the ground. "Get him in the backseat!"

Ray pulled open the door and waited for Peter and Winston to settle in the backseat with Egon. Practically pulling the driver's side door off the frame of the car Ray frantically started the car and raced off toward the hospital.

"Just hang on!" Ray begged as he swerved dangerously through the streets. "Don't give up on us Egon!"

Peter sat in the backseat of Ecto-1 with dying form of his best friend laying down across the seat and against his lap. Egon was cold, barely breathing and his heart was struggling to beat despite the massive blood loss. Winston kneeled on the floor of the car with one hand pressed against the side of Egon's neck and the other pressing down on Egon's nearly immobile chest.

Blood dripped from the multiple deep lacerations that marred Egon's body. A dried trail of blood ran from Egon's lips and his eye, leaving a dark red stain on his pale, almost blue tinted flesh.

"Hold on, Spengz." Peter begged as he held Egon tightly against his chest. The cold body was almost like holding onto a corpse. "We're here for you, now do your fair share and stay with us."

Winston monitored Egon's pulse carefully. "Don't be afraid to drive faster Ray," he encouraged boldly. "time is running out."

Ray accelerated the car to an alarming speed as he drove to the nearest hospital. His hands were locked in a white knuckle grip around the steering wheel. The burns on his hand throbbed but Ray refused to lessen his grip or slow down, taking sharp turns and weaving through traffic like a man on a mission.

Peter rubbed the dried, sticky blood from Egon's face with his thumb. "Almost there 'Big Guy', just a little longer."

There was no conscious response from Egon to Peter's voice. A slow exhalation of his weak breath made Peter's heart jump.

"Winston?"

Pressing his hand down firmly on Egon's ribcage then slipped his hand down over Egon's bruised, bleeding abdomen. "He stopped breathing. And I can't find a pulse."

"No way, not like this!" Peter almost growled as he helped Winston to slide Egon down from the backseat and onto the floor of the car. Taking a knee beside his colleague and friend he refused to give up on the dying physicist. "Breathe Egon!"

Winston placed his right hand over his left, interlocking his fingers together, and proceeded to compress rhythmically down onto Egon's battered chest. Compressing fifteen times he motioned for Peter to breathe for Egon. "Two breaths, go!"

On Winston's insistence all four Ghostbusters had taken courses in emergency first aid and had been trained in CPR. Remembering what he had been taught in those classes that, at the time, seemed superfluous; Peter straightened Egon's neck, tilted his head back and pinched his nose as Peter blew two controlled breaths into Egon's mouth.

Ray fought the impulse to pull Ecto-1 to the side of the street and help his colleagues in the back of the car. "Almost there!" Ray called back as he saw the Red Cross symbol of the hospital down the block. "Don't stop!"

"Breathe!" Winston instructed as he completed the second round of compressions.

Peter blew two more breaths and watched as Winston resumed compressions. "Come on Egon!" Too stubborn to simply let his best friend die frustration at his friend's failure to respond to CPR was beginning to set in.

The rear door of the car was pulled open by Ray as a doctor, two nurses and two orderlies towing a gurney filed in behind him. They had arrived at the hospital. Ray had rushed inside to get help while Winston and Peter continued to perform CPR on Egon.

"How long have has he been down?" The doctor asked as she placed the bell of his stethoscope on Egon's chest. She counted the compressions along with Winston who had been silently mouthing the numbers to himself.

"About two minutes." Winston estimated.

Before Peter had the chance to breathe for Egon a nurse placed an ambu-bag over Egon's mouth and nose and began artificially breathing for the downed man.

The doctor listened to Egon's chest carefully. "Full cardiac arrest; caused by hypovolemia, possible secondary cause hypothermia. If we're going to save him we need to get his blood volume up."

The orderlies and Winston worked together to move Egon from the floor of the car and onto the waiting gurney, a nurse continuously administering air to Egon's starved lungs while the doctor took over chest compressions. Peter, Winston and Ray all watched as the gurney rolled away inside with Egon. The doctor stood on the edge of the gurney while compressing his chest and giving orders while the staff rolled their dying colleague inside the hospital to receive proper treatment.

Standing in stunned silence Peter looked down at his blood covered hands and swallowed the nausea that had welled up inside of him. Turning his hands over he watched as the sticky blood clung to his red stained hands and the sleeves of his jumpsuit. Winston and Ray were also covered in blood; Egon's blood.

"He's going to pull through." Winston finally stated as he stared blankly at the hospital. "I've seen extraordinary men in worse shape come back from the dead, Egon is no exception."

As if he was being pulled on a string Peter began walking toward the doors of the hospital with Ray and Winston at his sides. It was chaos inside the hospital as Egon was wheeled into an emergency trauma bay for examination.

Winston took charge of the situation, keeping his friends as calm as possible while checking in at the nurse's station for any information on Egon. When the police arrived to question the incident Winston and Ray had to explain the situation in an honest, yet not entirely accurate manner. Foregoing the mention of the two ghosts Ray told the officers that some maniac took off with Egon after hiding out in the firehouse and attacking Janine. Winston explained how they had found Egon in the abandoned Baltic Hotel strung up in chains and that they had also found two bodies while looking for Egon.

Peter watched as the responding police officers took down statements and shook hands with both Winston and Ray before leaving the hospital to check out the scene of the crime.

"Did you lie?" Peter asked as Ray took a seat beside him in the waiting room.

"A little." Ray admitted. "I don't think the cops would be interested in a ghost story."

"They never are."

Winston joined his friends in the waiting room. "As soon as the police find the bodies everything will be handled." Looking at his friends he could see the emotional and mental strain the kidnapping had taken.

Ray was pale, his eyes dark and posture slouched. Peter was uncharacteristically tense and restless, neither man could seem to sit still in the generic gray chairs that lined the walls of the waiting room.

"When's the last time you had your hand cleaned out?" Winston asked as he took Ray's arm in his hands and examined the dirty bandages. "I don't want to see you admitted for an infection."

"It's been a few hours." Ray pulled his hand back from Winston. "But it's not bad."

Winston patted Ray's shoulder. "There's nothing more we can do for Egon but wait," he mentioned calmly. "in the meantime let's get you cleaned up."

"I'm fine." Ray insisted but the look in Ray's eyes told a different story.

Without another word Winston pulled Ray up from his seat and guided him over to the nurse's station to ask for some help.

Peter was left alone in the waiting room; left alone with his dark thoughts and the horrifying image of seeing Egon slipping away in his arms and feeling his cold body growing heavier as he fell closer and closer to death. Winston's words echoed in Peter's memory when he declared that Egon had stopped breathing and he couldn't find a pulse. It was almost too much for the normally emotionally steeled Ghostbuster to handle.

Feeling his self control fading quickly Peter took the opportunity to isolate himself from the rest of the world while he regained his resolve. Taking the elevator to the top floor of the hospital, fortunately the elevator car was unoccupied, Peter found the roof access and stood alone at the top of the hospital. The city was dark save for the glow of the street lights and buildings. Sirens echoed in all directions as police officers responded to citizens in distress and ambulances raced toward the hospital with victims of life fighting off death.

Taking a deep breath Peter ran his hands over his face as he stared up at the black sky above. A slight breeze picked up enough to rustle his brown hair as he remained statuesque and on the brink of an emotional collapse.

Peter shut his eyes slowly as he tried to compose himself but all the pain that he had tried to ignore, all the denial he allowed himself to live in when it came to concern for the safety of his best friend was crushing down on his very soul. Tears began to stream down his face as he a single sob escaped in a loud gasp.

Ray unzipped his jumpsuit down to his waist and slipped his arms free of the sleeves. His white t-shirt was dirty from walking through the dusty hotel and small stains of sweat had formed around the collar and under his arms. Tying the sleeves of his jumpsuit around his waist he watched as the young doctor cleaned up his burned hand and replaced the dirty gauze bandage with a fresh roll.

"How's his hand look, doc?" Winston asked curiously as he observed the burns being tended. "Any sign of infection or necrosis?"

"Fortunately no." The young doctor was fresh out of medical school. His short brown hair was combed back neatly and his brown eyes were bright and alert as he worked skillfully to take care of Ray's hand. "Despite the dirty bandages and what looks like inconsistent aid it appears as though the initial treatment was enough to prevent any bacterial infection from setting in through the dead tissue."

Ray let out a small sigh. "Egon took care of it for me."

"That explains it." Winston stood up straight and looked over at the clock on the wall. It had been hours since Egon was admitted, since they had seen their friend as he fought for his life. "Wish you would let us help you out Ray, you know it isn't a burden to help a friend."

"I know." Ray felt a twinge of guilt as he realized that he had been pushing his friends away as the night went on. A part of him believed he deserved to be punished for failing to keep the containment unit stable. The painful burn wasn't a suitable enough punishment for his mistake. "I just didn't think anything of it."

The doctor finished wrapping up Ray's hand and gave him a nod of approval. "Keep it clean, keep it covered. If you experience any pain try aspirin or ibuprofen."

"Thanks, doc." Ray hopped down from the exam table. "Wonder if there's any update on Egon?"

Winston held open the door for Ray as the duo exited the small room. "I could check with the nurses desk if you want."

Ray contemplated it for a moment as he rubbed at his sore hand. "I think I'd rather know everything at once at the end, not bits and pieces throughout the night."

"Same."

Returning to the waiting room Ray and Winston noticed that Peter was gone and a small family was now sitting against the far wall together.

"Where'd Venkman go?" Ray asked quietly.

"Maybe he went to check on Janine." Winston shook his head. "Man, I almost forgot about her. Should we tell her about Egon or wait?"

"I'd wait." Ray admitted timidly. "But we should go and see her."

"I think Dana is staying with her still." Winston made his way over to the elevator with Ray trailing behind him. "Hopefully Peter is with them."

Alone on the roof Peter fought hard against his emotional outburst in a futile attempt to regain control over himself. The tears he shed over Egon were justified and he knew his reaction was healthy, but allowing himself to emote so freely and without any means of stopping it made the reclusive man feel exposed, vulnerable.

Wiping away his tears as leaned against the edge of the roof and looked down at the parking lot far below.

"It's fine, everything will be fine..." He told himself, his voice was shaking and sounded unfamiliar. "Egon will pull through. Egon doesn't give up, neither can we. Egon knew we'd find him, he... he thanked us! He... No, it wasn't 'goodbye', it wasn't!"

Feeling his legs buckle Peter kneeled down on the hard rooftop and pressed his forehead into the cold concrete edge as he submitted to the emotional turmoil that threatened to tear himself apart.

"He thanked us..."

Ray and Winston knocked on the opened door leading to Janine's room. The two Ghostbusters masked their fear for Egon's life as they visited their injured friend who had been out of the loop since she had been admitted with her head injury. Janine was laying her bed comfortably while Dana was sitting in a chair beside the bed. The two quickly took notice of their visitors.

"Hey Janine." Ray put a comforting hand on her arm while Winston discreetly sat beside Dana and whispered into her ear. "How do you feel?"

Looking up at Ray with an unamused gleam in her brown eyes she answered honestly. "I feel like a damn fool."

Ray patted her arm gingerly. "You're not a fool. You're bold! Big difference."

"That's a nice way of saying 'idiotic', right?" She leaned back heavily into her pillows. "I knew better than to go down into the basement alone. I should've called you guys over the radio."

Ray looked over at Winston who had wrapped his hand over Dana's and squeezed lightly indicating that he had told Dana about what had happened to Egon. The distant stare in Dana's eyes betrayed her otherwise calm exterior disposition.

"Janine, even if you did call us first you would've checked out the basement anyway. And odds are the ghost would've ambushed you even if you hadn't gone downstairs."

"I still should've told you guys as soon as things started acting up." She turned away from Ray and stared out the window into the night sky as she felt tears of remorse beginning to well up in her tired eyes. "It's my fault Egon was taken."

"No." Ray responded quickly and firmly. Sitting on the edge of the bed he leaned in toward Janine as he spoke. "If anyone is to blame it's me. I was responsible for checking in on the containment unit, I was the one who didn't finish replacing the gasket, I'm the one who... I was careless. I burned my hand and then I became distracted. I'M the one at fault."

"It was an accident." Dana rose from her seat while Winston continued to squeeze her hand. "Ray, Janine, stop blaming yourselves over this. It's horrible yes, but trying to pin blame on someone is going to make things any better."

"She's right." Winston agreed wholeheartedly. "We all know that neither of you would ever do anything to intentionally harm another person. Accidents happen. They happen all the time!"

"I'm going to find Peter." Dana's voice was growing heavy with worry. "I'll be back soon Janine."

"We don't know where Peter went." Ray replied curtly. "He's not in the waiting room and we know he wouldn't leave the hospital."

"I think I know where to look." Dana reciprocated Winston's kind gesture by squeezing his hand in return. "I'll find him."

Excusing herself from Janine's room Dana walked over to the elevator and pressed the 'call' button. In the time she had known Peter the two had become very close and learned to trust one another completely. Despite being married and enduring many unusual situations together Peter was still a very guarded person. The inability to trust his conman father and losing his mother as a young child had left Peter feeling alone and unwanted. Shortly after being wed Peter told Dana of his less than ideal childhood and how befriending Egon and Ray in college provided him with a much needed sense of family and belonging.

The doors to the elevator opened and she stepped into the unoccupied car. Pressing the button to reach the top floor Dana took a moment to process everything that had happened during that very unusual day. Egon seemed like such an indestructible presence, seeing everyone so worried about him was enough to shake even the strongest core.

The doors opened and Dana found herself on the top floor of the hospital. Roaming the corridor she found the door granting roof access and tested the handle. It was unlocked. Knowing that Peter was hiding out on the roof she pushed open the door and joined her husband as he kneeled down on the edge, his back to the door and his forehead still pressed against the cold concrete ledge.

"Peter?" She softly called his name and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Dana," he turned his head and used his sleeve to wipe away the tears on his face. "how'd you know I was up here?"

"Because I know you." She released her grip and sat down beside Peter. "Whenever you have a bad day or get stressed out you retreat to the roof."

"I do?" Peter turned around on his knee so his back was against the ledge. Sitting down he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his arms on top of his curled up legs. "Never noticed."

"Aren't you the one who told me people are unaware of their own bad habits?" She nudged him lightly with her elbow. "Like me and my nail biting."

"You're not starting that again are you?" Peter looked at her fingers. "You're a musician, you can't afford to damage your hands."

"No, I'm biting my nails again. And you're trying to change the subject." Taking his hand in her own she laced their fingers together and held tight. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Peter answered with a blunt, quick response.

"No, don't do that. Don't shut me out. I know you're worried about Egon, we all are."

"If you already knew the answer then why'd you even ask?"

Dana was stunned by his biting remark and the hurt in her eyes was apparent.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"I know."

"It's just... I never thought I'd ever see any of my friends, let alone my best friend... Dana, you weren't there. You didn't see him."

Leaning her head against Peter's shoulder she ran her other hand up and down his arm in a comforting manner.

"If he doesn't make it I don't know what I'll do."

"Egon is like your brother."

"Until I met you Egon and Ray were the only family I had. Egon always watched over my like a big brother and I always watched over Ray like a little brother. Egon was never close with him family, hell, they disowned him when he chose to pursue a career in the paranormal instead of medicine! And Ray... Ray lost his parents when he was still young, his own siblings abandoned him to take care of their own selfish desires."

"You needed each other." Dana looked at Peter with a true sense of understanding and compassion in her dark brown eyes. "And you still do."

"When I saw Winston carrying Egon's body... I just... I never felt such rage before." A lone tear rolled from Peter's eye and dripped down onto his chest. "I held him Dana, I held onto him as tightly as I could but he still kept slipping away."

Dana tightened her hand around his as he told her what he had seen.

"And when Egon stopped breathing..." He trailed off, his voice quivering with mournful pain.

"Peter, didn't the same thing happen to your mother?" Dana dared to ask.

Nodding subtly another tear rolled down Peter's face.

"You were with her when she passed away. I can't imagine the pain of a child losing their parent."

"I was there..."

"But... You never told her goodbye, did you?"

"I can't take it Dana. I can't take losing my best friend." Bowing his head into his arms Peter began to silently weep.

"You won't have to." Wrapping her arm around his shoulders she hugged him as tightly as possible. "Egon will make it, you just have to hang onto hope."

Winston had returned to the waiting room and taken a seat in the corner, while Ray stayed with Janine. Tired, worried and completely frustrated he closed his eyes and tried to think about anything but Egon. It wasn't long before a police officer was shaking his shoulder lightly.

"You're friend is still in surgery, huh?"

Opening his eyes Winston looked into the compassionate face of the same cop he spoke with earlier. "Yeah... He's suffering from some pretty severe internal bleeding." Clearing his throat Winston eagerly changed the subject. "Did you find the bodies?"

"We did." The officer confirmed as he sat down in the chair across from Winston. "The coroner estimates the time of death somewhere in the late 30s or early 40. Gunshot wounds to both bodies. The bullets match the gun of the infamous crimelord 'The Executive' who was also killed around the same time. Looks like you guys solved a coldcase for us."

"Did you find anything else?" Winston asked, trying to keep the details of the story he and Ray told without including the ghosts.

"Well, we found marks on the ceiling from where those chains you mentioned could've been suspended. Aside from boots prints that match you guys there was no sign of the sick freak who attacked your friend."

"I'm not surprised..." Winston stared down at the floor as the deceitful act made it uncomfortable for him to look the officer in the eyes. "I just wish we could've gotten to Egon sooner."

"Well, what's important is you found him and he's being take care of." The officer extended his hand to shake respectfully. "If you ever feel like donating your equipment to help us find other missing people don't hesitate to stop by."

"Thank you. We appreciate all your help." Winston shook his hand. "...Are the bodies going to be buried?"

"Yes. As soon as the coroner can confirm the identities they'll be given a proper burial."

"That's good. At least something good will come of this mess."

"Take care, and give my best regards to your friends." The officer rose from his seat. "You guys helped out my aunt a few years back, she's been a lot happier ever since."

"I will." Winston leaned forward in his seat and pressed his tired face into his hands. "Too bad Egon won't be able to hear it."

"Yes he will." Ray walked into the waiting room as he pushed Janine along in a wheelchair. "Egon's a lot stronger than most people give him credit for."

Winston looked up and gave Ray an approving smile. "You're right."

Ray put the wheelchair beside Winston and took the chair that officer has recently vacated. "I just wish we didn't have to wait so long to get an answer."

"Well, according to the R.N. at the nurses station Egon is still in surgery."

"Still?" Ray looked down at his watch and counted the hours that had passed. "Five hours on the operating table... Do you think he's strong enough to endure such extensive surgery?"

"I don't know. Egon was very weak when we found him and he just got worse... If he's managed to hold on until now it's possible he'll pull through. But everyone tolerates surgery are different levels, there's really no way to know."

Peter and Dana had finally rejoined their friends down in the waiting room. Peter's eyes were puffy and red from crying but no one said a word as he seated himself beside Ray. Dana took the seat beside Peter and gave Janine a reassuring nod.

"Any word?" Peter asked quickly.

"Still in surgery." Ray replied just as quickly. "We don't know the full extent of his injures. Yet."

"And we're not leaving until we know what's going on." Peter decided. "Try to get some sleep guys, I'll wake you up when there's an update."

"No way." As tired as he felt Winston wasn't about to let Peter stay up all night alone. "I'm going to get some coffee and we'll wait together."

"I'll help." Ray rose from his seat and made his way toward the small area containing vending machines and the coffee. "And I'm buying."

Dana snuggled into Peter's arm and closed her eyes. "Everything will be okay. You'll see."

Without a word Peter kissed the top of her head and stared at the floor despondently. Doubt still weighed heavily in his heart despite his desires to keep hope alive for the sake of Egon.

As night gave way to early morning Ray and Winston had fallen asleep in their seats, the coffee providing no aid in keeping awake. Janine had also fallen asleep in her wheelchair, her head leaning against Winston's strong arm as she dozed. Dana was still cuddled up against Peter, who was the only one still awake.

"Excuse me?" The same doctor who had met the Ghostbusters outside the hospital returned. "Are you the Ghostbusters? Are you associated with Dr. Egon Spengler?"

"Yes." Peter answered somewhat loudly. He was torn between letting his friends rest and waking them up to hear about Egon. "What can you tell us? Is he going to recover?" Careful not to jostle Dana Peter rose from his chair to greet the doctor at eye level. "Is he... Is still with us?"

"First off let me confirm that your friend survived the surgery." Her voice was soft and melodic as she spoke. "I'm Dr. Sydney Scott," she introduced herself politely before continuing. "but he's also in critical condition."

Ray had heard the conversation taking place and roused from his slumber. "Egon?" He asked as he too stood up with a bolt of adrenaline. "Egon made it?"

Winston, Janine and Dana woke up and stared at the tall blonde doctor explaining everything to Peter and Ray. The three listened intently awaiting the answer.

"Yes." Dr. Scott reaffirmed sincerely. "But as I said, he's still in critical condition."

"How bad?" Peter dared to ask, his bright eyes intense and focused. "Don't sugar coat it, we need to know."

Dr. Scott stood up straight, her face stoic yet confident as she prepared to deliver the heart wrenching news to the shaken Ghostbusters. The kind doctor had chosen to respect Peter's request and tell them the truth without trying to bury the lead or dismiss the more serious injuries as if they were only a mild abrasion or inconvenience.

"Dr. Spengler has suffering significant internal trauma," Dr. Scott kept her voice even as she spoke. "he had hemorrhaging in his chest from a bruised and collapsed lung, his heart is also bruised from blunt force trauma to the chest. Hemorrhaging in the liver and the spleen was critical, requiring several blood transfusions. We repaired his liver but had to remove the spleen. As you well know he had gone into cardiac arrest and required resuscitation. It took some effort but we managed to restart his heart and stabilize him before taking him into surgery."

As Dr. Scott detailed the gruesome nature of the assault Peter felt himself fighting back nausea. Ray and Winston fidgeted where they stood, Dana clung tightly onto Peter's hand; squeezing tighter with every detail. Janine could only stare at the wall as she pictured Egon a broken mess in her mind.

"Three ribs were broken, four fractured," Dr. Scott continued reluctantly. "his left wrist was broken, his left shoulder was dislocated, the right orbit of his eye was fractured, had has multiple lacerations and contusions across his entire body which required numerous stitches and are secured under heavy bandages. Dr. Spengler has also suffered a concussion due to a strong blow to the head. We won't know if there is any permanent impairment until he wakes up."

"Can we..." Peter cleared his cracking voice. "Can we see him?"

"He's still unconscious. Even after the sedation wears off I don't imagine he will gain consciousness for a few days."

"We just need to see him." Peter pressed on, sounding more like a frightened child than an adult.

"I understand." Dr. Scott agreed. "He's in critical care and will be for the next forty-eight hours for observation. I can allow you to visit him but it'll have to be one at a time."

"That's fine." Peter agreed to the terms and stepped forward as he gave Dana's hand one final tight squeeze before letting go. "I want to see him, now."

"Okay." Dr. Scott motioned with her arm for the worried psychologist to follow. "Right this way."

"Dr. Venkman." Peter finally introduced himself as Dr. Scott escorted him down the corridor to where Egon was resting. "Thank you for everything."

Ray's legs were shaking with fear, anxious sweat beaded on his face. Sitting back down slowly he placed a trembling hand against his face and breathed deeply as the horrific details sank into his heart like a lead weight. "Oh God..."

Dana put her hand on Ray's arm sympathetically.

Winston couldn't bring himself to sit back down, he was too wound up. Pacing up and down the aisles of chairs in the waiting room he contemplated the brutal aftermath of everything they'd just endured, the brutality that Egon had just barely survived.

Dr. Scott showed Peter to Egon's room. Putting her hand on the closed door she addressed Peter one last time. "Remember, he's still in critical condition and it won't be easy to look at. Are you ready?"

Peter didn't say anything. Giving Dr. Scott a mere glance he waited for her to open the door.

"I'll leave you two alone." She pushed open the door and stepped back. "I'll be back later."

Setting foot inside the room Peter stopped short after passing through the doorway. "Egon..."

Egon was laying in the bed looking pale, bruised and helpless. His arms, his legs, his abdomen and chest were wrapped in white bandages. A massive white bandage over his swollen eye concealed the horrific bruise beneath. IV's ran into his arm to replenish his lost blood and stabilize his fluids. A cardiac monitor was attached to the leads on his chest, the display showing his heart was still beating in a painfully slow rhythm. A tube hooked to a ventilator ran down his throat and helped Egon to breathe while his damaged lungs healed from the debilitating injuries.

Daring to step forward Peter stood beside the bed and looked down at his friend with stunned grief. Never before had he seen his best friend so weak, so vulnerable and defenseless.

Resting his hand on Egon's uninjured shoulder Peter flinched at how cold and lifeless the flesh beneath his palm felt.

"Egon? I don't know if you can hear me, but, I'm here for you pal." Peter used his other to brush back the messy locks of hair that hung down in Egon's face. "We're all here. And we're not going anywhere without you."

Hours ticked by with the Ghostbusters taking turns sitting in with Egon. Peter was urged to leave when Winston was shown to the room and it took some persuasion but Peter finally left the room and joined the others in the small cafeteria. No one had eaten in hours and everyone was feeling very tired and a little sick from it.

When Winston sat with Egon he couldn't help but check every piece of equipment in the room and measure Egon's pulse for himself. It wasn't that Winston was skeptical about the accuracy of the equipment itself or wary of the skills of the doctors, he just needed to feel the beating Egon's pulse under his fingertips to ease the dread that still lingered when he couldn't find a pulse the night before.

"Glad you're still among the living, man." Winston pulled a chair over to the bed and spoke softly as to not draw attention or disturb the nurses. "You gave us quite a scare. If you think confronting Gozer or Vigo was the scariest moment of my life, you'd be wrong. I never want to see you in this kind of condition ever again, alright?"

There was no response from Egon, not that Winston had expected to receive one.

The beeping of the heart monitor and the whirring of the ventilator was the only sound aside from Winston's warm voice.

"As soon as you're medically cleared we're going to have a serious talk about what to do in the event of abductions. I don't think 911 services are as open minded about vengeful ghosts as we are. And I don't enjoy lying to the cops simply because truth is stranger than fiction."

Dr. Scott and a nurse walked into the room to check on Egon's condition. "Mr. Zeddemore I'll need you to step outside for a few moments."

"I understand." Winston reluctantly took his leave of the room. "I'll be back in a couple of hours Egon. The others will be by to see you, too."

Ray hesitantly sat in with Egon after Winston had left. Seeing the physicist so beaten down was frightening to the sensitive engineer. Being no stranger to bullies and neglect himself the entire event had brought up many painful memories for Ray that he thought he'd long forgotten.

"Hey Egon." Ray's voice was shaking like a leaf. "They've got you all patched up and you'll be out of here, back at the firehouse and busting ghosts before you know it."

Standing beside the bed Ray struggled to look down at his unconscious friend.

"My hand is doing okay," Ray wanted to keep talking but didn't know what to talk about. "the doctor said you did a great job at cleaning it out and wrapping it up. So thanks."

Sitting on the edge of the bed by Egon's legs Ray continued to ramble on nervously.

"Janine is okay too. Slight concussion and a linger headache but the doctors say she can go home today. But I don't think she'll be going anywhere until you do. Never thought I'd see the day where Janine and Peter could be sitting so close to each other without picking on each other trying to get the other riled up. That's weirder than any ghost or 'gooper' I've ever seen!"

Unable to restrain the relentless guilt he felt any longer Ray poured out his heart.

"Egon, I am so, so sorry! It's my fault this happened! I was clumsy and stupid! If I had been more alert and paid closer attention to what I was doing then none of this would have ever happened! I'm the one who should've been beaten and tortured, no you... Not anyone else." Too distraught to move or even look at Egon he continued to apologize. "If you don't pull through I'll never forgive myself... Such a stupid mistake. I'm still that pathetic child left alone, why can't I grow up and be more responsible?"

"Oh Ray," Dana had arrived to sit with Egon and had overheard his self deprecating confessions. "you're not pathetic! It was all an accident, no one blames you." Joining Ray and Egon's beside she wrapped the unsettled engineer in her arms and held him. "Egon wouldn't blame you either. Please... Please don't tear yourself apart over this! We need you!"

"I'm sorry." Ray wrapped one arm around Dana and fully immersed himself her hug. "I don't like feeling alone..."

"You're not alone." Dana soothed with utmost sincerity and kindness. "We're all here for each other, don't forget it."

Ray released his arm from around Dana and used his sleeve to wipe away his face. Aside from sweat he had a fine layer of stubble growing on his chin from being unable to shave since the previous morning.

"Go downstairs and try to relax." Dana coaxed him delicately. "You're exhausted."

"What about you? You've been here since yesterday with Janine. Shouldn't you get home to Oscar?"

"I already called the babysitter, she'll stay until my sister shows up. I don't need to be home for some time."

"But you want to, huh?"

"I don't enjoy being away from my son or spending time in hospitals, but I'm not going to bail on everyone."

"You're not bailing, you're being a good mother. Go home, hug your son and take it easy."

"After you get some rest, then I'll go home for a while."

"Okay then, deal." Standing up from the bed Ray finally looked over at Egon. "See you soon, take it easy."

It didn't take long for Janine to find her way into Egon's room. With the help of Peter she was wheeled into the room and given a moment of privacy so she could speak with the man she had admired for so long. Like Ray she too felt guilty for what had happened to Egon despite everyone reassuring her that there was no blame to be shared.

Taking Egon's cold right hand between both of her own hands she gently rubbed at his knuckles to try and warm his icy touch.

"Dr. Spengler I know that it was an accident and that there was no way to know what was going to happen, but I still feel just awful about everything. If you come back to us I'll give up my chamomile tea and I'll stop getting into shouting matches with Dr. V, I swear it."

Glancing about the room to ensure that she and Egon were truly alone together she decided it was time to confess her feelings for him.

"I don't think it's much of a secret that I... well, I have feelings for you. And not just the usual feelings between two friends, I... I really enjoy being around you. You're smart, you're reliable, you're honest... I've never known a man like you before. And you don't treat women like disposable pleasures, you treat us like we're equals and with respect. I know you don't feel the same way about me as I feel about you, but you never once made me feel like I was being silly or a nuisance for having these feelings. We've never dated but I can honestly say that you're the nicest guy I've ever spent time with. Don't me wrong, Louis is a nice guy too and I don't regret dating him, but there's just something... I just don't... I don't know."

Loosening her grip on his hand she let out a deep sigh. "Maybe I just can't get over this schoolgirl crush. Regardless of my feelings toward you and your feelings toward me I know for sure that the Ghostbusters still need you. I don't think the guys could continue on without you. The loss would tear them apart." Gingerly she ran her hand down the side of his face. "You know Dr. V once said that Ray is the heart of the Ghostbusters, which I guess makes you the brain, Dr. V the backbone and Winston the conscience. And we all know that once the brain is gone... So you have to pull through, you hear me?"

Sitting in silence Janine just watched as Egon remained unconscious in the bed, the ventilator causing his chest to rise and fall with each artificial breath he took.

Peter walked into the room quietly and saw Janine sitting beside the bed with her heavy eyes struggling to stay open.

"Janine?" He whispered as he kneeled down beside the chair. "Come on, you still need to rest. I'll stay with Egon."

"Dr. V?" She opened her eyes fully and was surprised to see him giving her such a thoughtful glance. "I'm okay, I'm not-"

"Yeah, and neither is Ray or Winston or Dana..." He knew what she was going to try and say. Pushing her chair out of the room he politely waved over one of the nurses who was walking the exterior hallway. "We're all tired, but out of the group you're the only one who suffered a concussion. Go back to your room, Ray and Winston are down in the waiting room."

The nurse gladly took the wheelchair and escorted Janine back to her room. "Do you need anything for the pain Miss Melntiz?" The nurse instinctively asked.

"I just need this whole miserable day to end."

"Tell me about it..." The nurse knew the feeling all too well. She wheeled Janine down the corridor and toward the elevator.

Peter backed into the room and stood beside Egon's bedside once more. His training as a psychologist had proven more self serving than he could've ever anticipated as it helped him to push beyond his lingering grievances and anger toward his father and hurt from his mother's passing. In time he had even learned to let people into his life and trust them. Egon was the first friend he could ever fully trust.

"I told you we'd all be by for a visit." He joked playfully. "Now it's my turn to watch over you again."

Pulling up the chair that had been occupied so frequently by Egon's visitors Peter sat down heavily as fatigue took a toll on his body.

"So Spengz, as I'm sure you've been told all day long, we need you buddy." Pausing to keep his voice steady Peter quickly regained his composure. "I need you. You keep me from making a fool of myself, you keep me from shutting down, you keep me from turning tail and running for the hill as soon as things look sketchy."

Watching the steady beat on the heart monitor Peter couldn't help but remember the final days he spent with his mother as she laid dying her hospital bed all those years ago.

"Ray had asked me about... regrets. I told him I didn't have any. That was a lie." Peter bowed his head sadly. "I do have one. You're the one who knows. That night after we took down Gozer, you and I went up to the roof of the firehouse to survey the damage to the city. We counted all the buildings covered in marshmallow residue and you estimated that it was almost seven hundred gallons of goo that would need to be cleaned up, remember?"

Of course Egon would remember. He had a nearly eidetic memory, a trait that Peter often found irritating whenever he made a mistake because he knew Egon wouldn't forget it.

"You, me, Ray and Winston... We all risked our lives to save the entire world and you didn't even blink when you told us to cross the streams. I couldn't understand how you could be so fearless in face of death, and being so close to death made me think of my late mother. It made me realize how much I missed her and I how I had wished I had been brave enough to hold her hand, tell her I loved her and said goodbye when she passed away."

Standing up Peter put his hand on Egon's hair and leaned down, pressing his forehead against Egon's forehead.

"I won't say goodbye, but I won't leave without you knowing how much I care about you. You're my brother. Don't give up on me and I won't give up on you."

A sorrowful tear fell freely from Peter's eye. The tear fell onto Egon's forehead and rolled off into his messy hair.

"Please wake up."

* * *

 

Four days passed with the Ghostbusters taking shifts at the hospital to watch over Egon, and remaining at the firehouse to answer any calls. Ray and Winston had the shift at the firehouse while Peter stayed at the hospital. Janine had finally gone home to recover from her concussion and to get a break from all the emotional stress, Louis was watching after her and their romance had seemingly rekindled like they were dating for the first time again. Dana had volunteered to help with the paperwork at the firehouse while Janine recovered.

In the total five days that Egon had been admitted to the hospital the Ghostbusters had helped the nursing staff tend to Egon's physical rehab. Helping to move Egon's limbs to prevent blood clots and bedsores the friends were on top of Egon's care and greatly aiding in the weakened man's overall recovery.

During the days of Egon's recovery the bruises on his arms and legs had begun to fade, his complexion had regained a healthier shade and his eye was far less swollen but still deeply bruised and looked painful. The bandages around his arms, legs, chest and abdomen had been replaced several times in order to keep the wounds cleaned. With each change of dressing it was evident that the lacerations were healing well with no sign of infection.

"Hey Spengz." Peter, who was wearing his normal civilian clothing; jeans and gray t-shirt and red flannel over shirt, was shown into Egon's new room. The night before Egon was released from the intensive care unit and set in a standard recovery room. "You're looking less pale this morning." He teased as was his usual reaction to an otherwise upsetting situation. "At least this room isn't as dreary as the old one."

Flowers and cards poured in from all over the city. Many New Yorkers supported the Ghostbusters and Egon was well respected by his peers back at University.

"Doc says she'll consider taking you off the ventilator today if you cooperate and breathe on your own. You've had five days to heal and your lung congestion has cleared up already, so do your part and breathe for us." Peter carefully lifted Egon's right arm and began to flex it lightly. "No muscle cramps, no excuses!"

Dr. Scott walked into the room with a clipboard in her hands and a stethoscope slung casually around her neck, a nurse was following close behind. "Hello Dr. Venkman."

"Dr. Scott, we were just talking about you." Peter gave her a sly wink as she leaned over Egon. "Think he's ready to take off the training wheels and ride by himself?"

Running the bell of the stethoscope over Egon's chest Dr. Scott listened to his lungs and to his heart before offering her prognosis. "Clear, even breath sounds. And his heart sounds nice and strong. I think we can try extubating him."

"Yes! Finally." Peter was excited for the progress on Egon's condition. "Let's do this!"

"I'll handle everything Dr. Venkman," Dr. Scott gave him an amused smirk. "you just stand back and be patient."

"Hard to be patient when your best friend is already a patient."

"How long have you been waiting to say that?"

"Longer than I care to admit."

Laughing at the silly pun Dr. Scott slipped sterile gloves over her hands and checked the connection of the ventilator to the tube snaked down Egon's throat. "Ready?" She addressed the young dark haired nurse.

"Ready." He confirmed as he approached the ventilator and prepared to shut down the machine and set an ambubag on the nearby crash cart. "Emergency oxygen is set to go."

"Here we go."

Dr. Scott detached the ventilator from the end of the tube. Seeing Egon's chest stop rising and falling made Peter's blood run cold. Fighting off the urge to rush to Egon's side he stood back against the wall and watched curiously as Dr. Scott began gently pulling the tube out of Egon's throat and mouth. As the tube was pulled free the cardiac monitor showed Egon's oxygen levels beginning to drop as he still wasn't breathing and the ventilator was no longer breathing for him.

Pressing stethoscope back to Egon's chest Dr. Scott listened for any sign of respiration.

"Come on Egon." Peter encouraged from the far side of the room. "You can do it, breathe!"

The stats on the monitor continued to drop.

"No breath sounds. His O2 levels are dropping." Dr. Scott stared intently at the display, the bell of the stethoscope running over Egon's chest. "If he drops lower than eighty percent we'll have to put him back on the ventilator."

"Egon, you can do this." Peter approached the bed and spoke louder. Egon's stats were down to eighty-six percent. "Breathe."

Dr. Scott was about to issue an order to the nurse when Egon suddenly inhaled deeply and let out the taken breath slowly.

"That's it!" Peter flashed a beaming smile. "I knew you could do it!"

"Even breath sounds." Dr. Scott confirmed. "Keep him on O2 until he regains consciousness." Turning to look at Peter over her shoulder she smiled warmly. "It seems your friend is going to pull through."

Letting out a deep cleansing sigh Peter leaned down on the edge of Egon's bed and stared at his friend's somewhat peaceful face as the nurse slipped the oxygen mask over Egon's nose and mouth. "And you complain that I scare you! At least I've never been in a coma!"

Back at the firehouse Ray and Winston were sitting together in the rec room watching a baseball game to pass the time. Neither man was invested in the game, but it provided a much needed distraction while they waited for an update on Egon or at the very least a call to respond to.

Dana had quickly taken to filing away paperwork after Janine, much to Louis' chagrin, insisted on stopping by the firehouse to show Dana the ropes. The phone had been uncharacteristically quiet but she didn't mind as the silence gave her plenty of time to get everything organized and properly filed.

Ray wandered down the stairs and greeted Dana at her desk with a forced smile. "Hi Dana. How're you doing?"

"I'm fine, a little bored but I don't mind. It's a good change of pace from changing diapers and trying to travel with the orchestra." She matched Ray's smile with her own. "How're you?"

"Fine. Just... Just restless."

"Can't imagine why." She teased.

"Yeah, never thought it'd be so quiet around here." Ray crossed his arms as he fell into thought. "Egon isn't busy tinkering away in his lab and Peter's not wandering around grumbling about Peck or bills... I miss the noise!"

The phone on the desk suddenly rang which caused both Ray and Dana to jump. Picking up the phone Dana humored Ray. "Ask and you shall receive." Putting the phone to her ear she answered the call. "Ghostbusters. How may I direct your call? Oh, Peter! Hi!"

"Peter?" Ray's eyes lit up with a mixture of joy and fear.

"That's great news!" Dana's mood instantly improved. "I'll let the guys know, thanks for calling! I love you too, goodbye."

"Well?" Ray asked anxiously as Dana hung up the phone. "What's going on?"

"Egon is off the ventilator! He's breathing on his own!"

"Oh... Thank God!" Ray's joy was palpable. "Maybe we should-"

The phone rang again. Ray watched and listened in as Dana answered the call and wrote down some details on a piece of notepad paper. Handing it over to Ray she gave him a playful smirk. "You got a call."

"Later, then." Ray took the address from Dana while she pressed the alarm to sound off the Klaxon. "Winston and I will stop by the hospital as soon as we take care of this bust!"

Peter remained steadfast at Egon's beside at the hospital. While Peter stared intently at his friend, as if he could somehow will Egon to wake up from the coma, two police officers entered the room with the intent to speak with Peter.

"Dr. Venkman," the first officer approached the idle psychologist. "we wish we had better news but it seems as though the person who abducted your friend has managed to completely hide any trace of their identity. I don't think we'll ever find the person responsible. I'm sorry."

Peter just shook his head at the response, never having expected any solid results from the investigation to begin with. "As long as Egon pulls through I honestly don't care." Giving the officer a respectful nod he extended his hand. "Thank you for all that you've done."

"We won't stop looking," the officer took Peter's hand while his partner stood back by the door. "but I fear the case will run cold."

After the police officers left the room Peter reached over and pulled the light blue blanket higher up over Egon's chest. "Do you think if the cops ever figured it out they'd be able to handcuff a ghost?"

"...highly doubtful." A hoarse, muffled voice replied quietly.

Peter froze in place and looked down at Egon in wide eyed disbelief. "Spengz? Did you... did you say something?"

Peter grabbed onto Egon's hand tightly and leaned down toward Egon's face. Unsure of what he had just heard was real or his imagination playing a cruel trick, he held his breath and braced himself for the worst. Egon was still very weak and had shown no sign of consciousness for the past five days, was it finally time for him to wake up?

"Egon, if you can hear me squeeze my hand." Peter impatiently waited. "Squeeze my hand!"

Slowly, very slowly, Egon's cold fingers curled around Peter's hand in response.

"You're awake!" Peter shouted with his unparalleled excitement. "Say something!"

"...I ..." Egon stammered weakly. "...I have a headache."

"Oh, sorry." Peter immediately lowered his voice. "But welcome back! We missed you!"

"...back?"

"Do you..." Peter's excitement was replaced with remorse. "Do you remember what happened?"

"...I remember... Janine." He struggle to speak as his throat was painful and the oxygen mask nearly muted his words. "...she was hurt."

Dr. Scott had heard Peter's voice carrying through the corridors. Upon entering the room to investigate the commotion she saw Peter holding onto Egon's hand and her previously comatose patient speaking very softly.

"Dr. Spengler." Dr. Scott gently lifted Egon's eyelid to check his pupil with the penlight from his coat pocket. "My name is Dr. Scott, do you know where you are?"

There was a brief pause before Egon responded. "...hospital."

"That's right." She stepped back taking Egon's hand from Peter and pressed her fingers against Egon's wrist to measure his radial pulse. "You've been here for five days. What's the last thing you remember?"

Egon swallowed once to try and ease the soreness of his throat. "...Peter. Peter you were with me."

"Yeah, we found you Spengz. You made it." Peter confirmed with a relieved smile. "We brought you here."

"...the others are safe?"

"Yes, the guys are just fine. They're back at the firehouse. Janine is at home with Louis for the rest of the week."

Egon swallowed again, his throat still raw. "...My throat hurts."

Dr. Scott gently opened Egon's mouth and shined her penlight down his throat. "The intubation irritated your esophageal lining. The pain should subside by tomorrow morning." Satisfied that Egon was stable Dr. Scott wrote down some notes on her clipboard. "Just take it easy for now, we'll run some tests later."

Egon's one good eye blinked slowly as fatigue already won out over his taxed body.

"Get some rest 'Big Guy'." Peter encouraged. "I'll still be here when you wake up."

"...Thank you for staying." Egon fell asleep and his body relaxed in the bed.

"You're welcome." Peter was torn between rushing back to the phone to let everyone know Egon was finally awake and staying by Egon's side. "I'm sure the guys will stop by later."

True to their word Ray and Winston decided to stop by the hospital after taking care of their latest call. The bust was simple enough, a single Class-2 imp like ghost who was causing trouble at a small diner on the other side of town. The drive was more of a chore than catching the little nuisance itself.

Walking into Egon's room Ray and Winston were greeted by the sight of Egon now sitting up in his bed, his tired good eye focused on Peter who was sitting beside him and telling the injured physicist about everything that had happened while he was missing.

"Egon!" Ray rushed over to the bed and threw his arms around the recovering man in an unbreakable hug.

"Ow..." Egon muttered as the unexpected gesture caused his still healing wounds to ache in response.

"Sorry..." Ray released his hug and blushed with embarrassment. "I just didn't expect- When did you- Peter!" He turned to the psychologist. "Why didn't you call us?"

Winston walked over to Egon and put his hand on Egon's uninjured shoulder as Peter answered sheepishly. "I didn't want to leave Spengz alone and I figured you'd be stopping by anyway!"

"You still should've called! Winston scolded. "I think Dana would like to know, too!"

"She does." Peter replied somewhat smugly. "I called about ten minutes ago. She said you already went out on a call."

Winston playfully smacked Peter's shoulder before addressing Egon. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted." Egon was able to speak louder and more clearly but his throat was still hurting him. "Peter told me what happened. Thank you for saving my life."

Winston stood up a little straighter with pride. "You know you don't have to thank me, right? I know you would do the same for me."

"Thank you all the same." Egon was truly appreciative of his friends, grateful to have such great people in his life. "Ray?"

"Yeah? You okay?" Ray sounded alarmed, but still looked composed.

"Fine. Ray, I hope you don't think that you're responsible for my current predicament."

Ray blushed a deep shade of red. Not knowing what to say he just kept his silence.

"From what Peter has told me," Egon explained calmly and without any accusation in his voice. "the ghost was a bitter, vengeful spirit who wanted to take out his frustrations on someone who could logically associate with his pain. Being murdered will leave spirits very agitated, you know this, a spirit who sees any person at fault for their pain; being trapped or forcibly removed from their environment, will lash out regardless of the situation."

"I know." Ray's face began resuming its normal pallor. "But since I'm the one who was clumsy with the containment unit I'm the one who let the spirit escape."

"Accident Ray. You were injured." Egon was still able to recall the events taking place in the firehouse before he was taken. "I could've checked in on the unit just as easily as you. We're both at fault, yet neither of us are to blame."

As if he needed Egon's validation Ray was finally able to let go of his guilt. "I'm glad you're still with us."

"So am I."

* * *

 

Two weeks after Egon was admitted to the hospital he was finally released into the care of the other Ghostbusters. Leaning heavily and awkwardly on a set of crutches, his formerly dislocated shoulder still bound in a blue sling, Egon limped through the garage of the firehouse with Peter, Ray and Winston hovering around him protectively.

Janine had long since returned as receptionist to the Ghostbusters. Upon seeing Egon she raced from her desk and gave Egon a firm hug. "Glad you're back!"

Egon was uncomfortable with the hug as it hurt his still healing ribs, but he didn't try to push her away. "It's good to be back."

Janine let him go and stepped aside so he could walk toward the stairs. "I'll bring you some tea in an hour, just try to rest."

"She's right. Let's get you situated upstairs." Ray took Egon's good arm from the crutch and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Remember what the doctor said: no heavy lifting, no physical exertion of any kind and get plenty of rest."

"I remember Ray." Egon steadily climbed the staircase one step at a time.

Peter and Winston followed close behind ready to catch Egon if he lost his footing or tripped.

"If you'd bring me the schematics on the containment unit I can work from my bed." Egon suggested as he finally made his way to the top of the staircase.

"Sure, just don't try to sneak down into the basement and do any work without us!" Ray reprimanded like a father to a child.

Peter stepped up as the group entered the bunk room together. "We'll make sure of it. Spengz knows better than to go against a doctor's orders, right?"

"Of course I do." Egon allowed Winston and Ray to help him lay down on his bed. His crutches were set up against the nightstand beside the bed. "I would just prefer to do some work while I recuperate to keep my mind occupied."

"I'll go get the blueprints for you." Ray volunteered. "Be right back."

Winston reached into his pocket and pulled out the bottles of prescribed medication for Egon. "Here. Two pills now and two more in eight hours." He sat the bottles down on the nightstand. "And tomorrow you have to work on your physical therapy exercises."

Peter gave Egon a sly smirk. "Gee, now I know why you like to take care of us when we're sick. Control!"

"Very funny," Egon rubbed at his black eye, which was now open but still bruised. "I'll remember this the next time you come down with the flu."

"Love you, too!" Peter joked as he sat down on Egon's bed. "Want me to read you a story?"

"I may be injured," Egon joked in response. "but I still remember where all the 'tender' parts of the human anatomy are located. I'm also a light sleeper."

The Klaxons sounded off as call came into the firehouse.

"Perfect timing." Winston told himself. "Okay, Peter you stay with Egon. Me and Ray will handle the call."

"I don't-" Before Egon could protest the idea Winston had slipped out of the bunk room via the fire pole.

"Nothing personal," Peter explained nonchalantly. "but with Janine still getting over her concussion and being so much smaller than all of us it'd just be easier for one of us to stay back with you for another week or so. Just until you can get around without needing the crutches."

"A wise precaution."

"I figured you'd see it that way." Peter patted his leg. "I'm going to go get those blueprints for you and call Dana."

"Wait, before you go I just wanted to tell you something." Egon's voice was its usual firm tone but his eyes were uncharacteristically full of emotion. "I heard what you said when I was in the hotel and when I was in the hospital. I consider you my brother as well. Thank you for coming after me. You saved my life and you gave those spirits eternal peace."

"Egon, I..." Peter had left out the part where he had bargained with the ghosts at the hotel. It seemed so cold as if he was comparing the value of Egon's life to that of another.

"I also know that you kept Ray and Janine from tearing themselves apart from guilt and that you reassured Winston that his experience as a Marine doesn't make him responsible for our safety."

"I'm a psychologist, remember?" Peter tried to dismiss the compliments as business as usual. "I can read people."

"Yes. And you can also push people away, but instead you chose to bring everyone together."

"I hate to break it you Egon, especially since you're singing my name in praise here, but you're the one who brought us all together. You keep me honest, you make Ray's plans a reality, you remind Winston why helping people is his natural calling and you remind Janine how respectable men act."

Egon refused to let Peter ignore his own admirable traits. "Peter, you're a good person. Stop deflecting."

Peter wanted to crack a joke but nothing came to mind.

"Don't let your past mistakes effect your future, don't become full of bitterness and revenge. We know what that does to a person's spirit."

"All too well..."

"Peter, when I was in the hospital," Egon's eyes became dark and hardened. "when I was dying, the ghosts who abducted and tortured me appeared before me."

Peter felt himself pale with fear. "They... what?"

"They appeared before me." Egon repeated. "I know of their plight and I know of their pain. They also told me that you gave your word that they'd finally be given a proper burial. Before I woke up they came to me again. They wanted me to thank you. You helped them when no one else could."

Everything that Egon just said left Peter floored. They had captured ghosts without a second thought, does that mean so many more spirits could've been helped rather than imprisoned? Or was the ghostly couple just a fluke? It was almost too much for Peter to bear. Deciding it was time to lighten the mood Peter had a brilliant idea. "You know what? To celebrate your first night out of the hospital we should order pizza! My treat!"

Egon gave Peter a suspicious glance and shook his head. "That does sound good right about now."

"Great! I'll place the order, Ray and Winston can pick it up on their way back!" As Peter jogged out of the bunk room he turned and looked back at his friend over his shoulder. "I'm glad you're back, it's just not the same without you!"

**-The End**


End file.
